Utica-Rome Credit Union Chapter Gives to Faxton St. Luke's Healthcare

The Children’s Miracle Network (CMN) Hospitals at Faxton St. Luke’s Healthcare recently received a donation of a VECTA Mobile Sensory machine for the Pediatric Unit. VECTA is a portable multisensory station to help children feel more at ease while in a hospital setting.

The Utica-Rome Credit Union Chapter, a chapter of the Credit Union Association of New York, gifted funds to purchase the machine for the hospital. Each year, the credit unions in the Utica-Rome Chapter come together to raise funds for a project that benefits CMN Hospitals. This year, they chose to fund the purchase of a VECTA Machine.

“The hospital can sometimes be an uncomfortable place for children who don’t know what to expect,” said Erin Ratajczak, child life specialist at the Mohawk Valley Health System. “Anxiety or distress can affect how children cope with their hospitalization. That is where the VECTA comes in – it helps promote positive feelings to help a child cope with hospitalization.”

The VECTA has multiple features including music, color-changing bubble column, fiber optic lights as well as a projection option that puts soothing images on the wall. These elements allow pediatric patients to feel that they have some control over their hospitalization.

“We are extremely grateful to the Utica-Rome Credit Union Chapter for providing us with this important piece of equipment,” said Ratajczak. “The VECTA will be a great tool in helping children cope with their hospitalization and it will also provide some fun!”