Strong National Museum of Play partners with ‘WeGo Foundation’ to allow hospitalized children robotic access to museum

ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WHEC) — The Strong National Museum of Play has teamed up with WeGo Foundation to bring fun to sick children in hospitals across the United States.

Children will now be able to explore the museum with a kid-friendly, fully controllable robot that allows them to see, hear, interact, and communicate with other guests all from their hospital room.

The Golisano Children’s Hospital will be the first medical facility in our region that will partner with WeGo and provide these services to children in our community.

“Staying at the hospital is never easy for children. This partnership with WeGo and The Strong museum will allow us to provide engaging and interactive virtual experiences for our patients outside the four walls of their hospital room, harnessing the power of technology to create a comfortable environment for the best quality care,” says Heather Reyes, M.D., M.E. assistant professor in the Division of Pediatric Critical Care at URMC and faculty at the UR Health Lab.

“We’re looking forward to this opportunity to partner with The Strong to bring the museum to our children in the hospital and provide them with wonderful educational and interactive activities,” says Wendy Lane, M.S., Child Life program coordinator at Golisano Children’s Hospital.

The Strong will start offering tours once a month through the end of 2021. Additional days will be added per month starting January 2022.

These tours can be scheduled through the WeGo Foundation.