Clown Doctors Bring Laughter and Joy to Children in a Miami Hospital

Red Nose Docs, the flagship program of Healthy Humor Inc., plays an essential role in the healing process of hospitalized children at Nicklaus Children’s Hospital.

Ervin Palacios

The cheerful sound of children’s laughter full of joy and love for life is a sure sign of hope. However, when laughter begins to fade, life may be at risk and a health condition may be affecting young lives. Emotional and psychological stress can be the result of a serious illness or a painful therapy.

Therefore, Red Nose Docs use the healing power of humor to create smiles when and where they are needed the most, offering the magic of healthcare clowns during a hospital stay to alleviate the stress for young patients, their families and their circle of caregivers.

On any given day at Nicklaus Children’s Hospital in Miami, clown doctors from Red Nose Docs can be seen roaming around the hallways and visiting children. These masters of improvisation and spontaneous play visit each patient at his or her bedside and support the little patients with invaluable humor and energy, encouraging children to keep motivated and to help them cope with the situation.

Red Nose Docs is the flagship program of Healthy Humor, an arts organization whose professional performers create moments of joy, wonder, laughter and comfort for hospitalized children and others who are most in need. “We at Healthy Humor use healthcare clowning to help lighten the stress, fear, sadness and isolation of the hospital environment for young patients,” said Dina Paul-Parks, co-founder and chief executive officer.

“We use different circus and theater skills, including juggling, mime, music, storytelling, puppetry, magic, and slapstick in our clown rounds,” explained Doctor Waffle, one the program’s professional performers. These specially-trained performers work in teams of two to create spontaneous, joyful encounters, reintroducing play and fun as natural parts of life and help reduce stress for children.

Healthy Humor’s founders have more than 50 years of combined experience in healthcare clowning. They “hope for a world transformed by humor, joy and the power of human connection—a world less burdened by pain and fear,” as it states in their vision statement. The silly and lovable clowns that perform at Nicklaus Children’s Hospital are Dr. Billy, Dr. Rocker, Dr. Waffles, Dr.Bumbles, Nurse LuLu, Dr. Purple and Dr. Schpack.

“Research has shown that humor and laughter can have a positive impact on attitudes and health of children,” explained Dina, as there are many extraordinary claims regarding the health benefits associated with humor. For instance, a research made in pediatric clinics in Germany proved that “Hospital clowns can help pediatric patients with the stress of a hospitalization and to circumvent the accompanying feelings of fear, helplessness and sadness, thus supporting the healing process.”

Haz clic para leer en Español: Clown Doctors brindan risas y alegría a niños en Hospital de Miami