Leap of Faith Technologies Developing “Virtual Community” for Kids with Cancer

For children with cancer, dealing with their disease is not the only struggle they face. During periods of hospitalization and treatment, they are isolated from their schools, friends, and families, often for long periods of time. Working with a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant from the National Institutes of Health, Leap of Faith Technologies is studying how to use interactive media, particularly the Internet, to keep these children involved with their families and peers at all stages of their treatment.

Leap of Faith is developing an Internet-based program called @neWorld: A Virtual Community for Kids with Cancer. @neWorld will allow children to interact with classmates and keep up with classroom activities, meet and interact with other children who have similar medical conditions, and interact with their doctors and family members.

@neWorld: A Research-Based Application
“Through this project, we hope to gain a comprehensive and scientific understanding of the impact of Internet technology as an intervention in pediatric healthcare,” says Barbara Rapchak, CEO of Leap of Faith. “Research shows that interventions that include education, social interaction, mental imagery, and distraction can be powerful tools in helping children cope.”

@neWorld’s mission is to create a social support intervention that uses the Internet as a community-building tool for hospitals and schools. “Our goal is to help adolescent children deal with issues of isolation, fear, anxiety, and decreased self-esteem by providing access to a community of peers and classmates,” says Rapchak. “The @neWorld environment will encourage communication, education, and self-expression-letting the kids using the program become active participants in creating the community.”

The project is currently in Phase I, with Leap of Faith conducting focus groups with pediatric cancer patients, their parents, school classmates, and healthcare providers. The results of these focus groups will be used in Phase II, starting later this year, to define @neWorld’s specific features and develop ways to incorporate the program into schools, hospitals, and children’s homes.

A Community of Support
Leap of Faith is developing @neWorld in conjunction with Ronald McDonald(r) Children’s Hospital, the University of Wisconsin Children’s Hospital, and Hope Children’s Hospital. Also participating in the program are school districts in Crystal Lake and Arlington Heights, Illinois.

Rapchak is also establishing a non-profit organization, the Leap of Faith Foundation, that will provide ongoing support for @neWorld and other public health services developed by Leap of Faith Technologies. “While the development of @neWorld is funded through our grant, we will need funding from other sources to keep the program running after the two-and-a-half year study,” says Rapchak. “Supporting it through the foundation will ensure that the program can keep these children involved in their online communities without depending on subscription revenues.”

Leap of Faith Technologies, Inc., in Crystal Lake, IL, specializes in technical and social marketing for industry as well as the public sector. The company has received nine SBIR grants from the National Institutes of Health for research programs in health education technology.

March 2, 2001

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