PORTSMOUTH, Va. (June 27, 2023) The Pediatric Child Life Program at Naval Medical Center Portsmouth (NMCP) received a special donation from Operation Key West (OKW) to benefit the patients of the pediatric ward and Pediatric Intensive Care Unit.

OKW is a program that aides in helping military families with seriously or chronically ill children. Their mission is to provide smiles, through “smile packages”, fun events, and to improve the quality of treatment by providing anxiety-reducing elements in the medical care environment via the Medi Teddys. Their overall goal is to make the child’s and family’s experience less traumatic.

For this specific donation, OKW reached out and wanted to do something to support the patients and families while they were spending long days in the clinic or hospitalized at NMCP.



“Operation: Key West continues to make a significant positive impact on the lives of military servicemember’s children here at NMCP,” said Chris Brogan, NMCP child life specialist.

The Medi Teddy was suggested and approved by NMCP to reduce the stress associated with clinical environments by utilizing the Medi Teddy to hang in front of bags of medicines or blood products that could cause anxiety in some pediatric patients.

“OKW’s $1,000 donation of Medi Teddys will be utilized in multiple pediatric service areas to promote positive pediatric patient coping while in the medical environment,” said Brogan.

Historically, the OKW program included sending military parents who had lost a child, on an all-expense paid vacation of their choice. The program provided a respite – a time and place of peace removed from home and the busyness and burdens of daily living – to allow these parents to have the opportunity to rebuild relationships and restore their lives.

The Covid-19 pandemic changed many things, and OKW’s mission was altered as well. Now, Operation: Key West’s emphasis is to focus on the entire family.

NMRTC Portsmouth is the premier readiness and training platform that provides superior medical training for military medical service members at the U.S. military’s oldest, continuously operating military hospital. Since 1830. NMCP, a nationally acclaimed, state-of-the-art military treatment facility, along with the area's 10 branch health and TRICARE Prime Clinics, and provides medical care for warfighters and their families. It also supports premier research and teaching programs designed to prepare new doctors, nurses and hospital corpsman for combat operations and public health crises.