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Mary Free Bed Kids has welcomed a new child life specialist to support young patients and their families across its growing Pediatric Rehabilitation Program. This grant-funded position strengthens the services that will be moving into the new Joan Secchia Children’s Rehabilitation Hospital this fall, a joint venture with Corewell Health Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital.

What is a child life specialist?

Child life specialists are trained pediatric health care professionals who help children of all ages manage the emotional, developmental and social challenges that can come with illness or injury. Through therapeutic play and coping support, they help make medical experiences feel more predictable and less overwhelming for kids and their families.

What conditions does a child life specialist treat?

Child life specialists support children with a wide range of conditions, including brain injury, spinal cord injury, cerebral palsy, amputation, stroke, cancer, chronic pain and other complex medical needs. These conditions can bring sudden changes in mobility, independence and daily routines, which may feel overwhelming for children and families. A child life specialist can help kids understand what’s happening as they navigate changing mobility needs. They provide emotional support and coping skills as kids move through rehabilitation. By supporting emotional well‑being alongside physical recovery, child life services help children feel more confident, engaged and prepared for healing.

How can a child life specialist support rehabilitation?

In a rehabilitation setting, this support is especially meaningful. A child life specialist can help kids adjust to the changes in routine that accompany a prolonged hospital stay, providing child-friendly coping strategies to manage their emotions. Child life specialists also collaborate closely with therapists across multiple disciplines, including physical, occupational, speech and recreational therapists. This team-based approach helps kids stay engaged in therapy and build confidence as they recover.

Will Mary Free Bed Kids have a child life specialist?

Mary Free Bed Kids is excited to welcome Anna Cook, CCLS, as the newest member of the Pediatric Rehabilitation Team. Anna is a certified child life specialist with experience supporting patients and families through challenging medical experiences, including previous work in the pediatric intensive care unit at Corewell Health Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital. She specializes in age-appropriate education, preparation and coping strategies for patients, siblings and caregivers. Her expertise also includes support related to previous hospitalizations or medical trauma.

“I’m excited to help bring child life back into the rehabilitation world at Mary Free Bed,” said Anna Cook, CCLS. “Kids are incredibly brave, creative and resilient. I love helping them discover those strengths during their recovery. I can’t wait to partner with our teams across the new children’s rehabilitation hospital to make rehabilitation feel a little less scary and a lot more fun for every child who walks through our doors.”

“Anna brings a wonderful blend of clinical expertise and heartfelt connection to our pediatric program,” said Maria Besta, CTRS, director of integrative therapies and adaptive recreation. “Child Life services are an essential piece of family‑centered rehabilitation, and Anna’s passion for supporting children and their caregivers will strengthen the experience we provide as we build out programming for Mary Free Bed Kids at the new Joan Secchia Children’s Rehabilitation Hospital. We’re excited to welcome her to the team.”

About Mary Free Bed Kids

Mary Free Bed Kids provides comprehensive inpatient and outpatient care for children and their families across West Michigan and beyond, including an innovative Orthotics & Prosthetics + Bionics Program. Opening in fall 2026, Joan Secchia Children’s Rehabilitation Hospital, located on the Grand Rapids Campus, will offer a full continuum of pediatric rehabilitation services in a new, cutting‑edge facility designed exclusively for children and their families. The hospital will be the first in Michigan dedicated exclusively to pediatric rehabilitation care.

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Families across West Michigan have recognized Mary Free Bed Kids as a leader in pediatric therapy, ranking its teams among the best in the 2026 GR Kids Family Care Providers Guide. Mary Free Bed Kids earned top honors across all three outpatient therapy disciplines, with its physical, occupational and speech-language therapy teams placing in the top three spots.

The GR Kids Family Care Providers Guide helps families navigate their child’s care with confidence, highlighting trusted pediatric providers across specialties—from primary care and dentistry to therapy and mental health services. Rankings are based on recommendations from West Michigan parents and caregivers.

In addition to overall program recognition, six Mary Free Bed Kids therapists were individually honored:

• Physical Therapy: Andrea Dennis, Briana Dean and Hannah Robb
• Occupational Therapy: Ashton Kowalski and Courtney Van Os
• Speech-Language Pathology: Sydney Woodman

“Being recognized by families in our community is incredibly meaningful,” said Jaime Myers, vice president of outpatient services at Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation. “Our teams show up every day with a shared purpose: restoring hope and freedom through rehabilitation. These rankings reflect not only the expertise of our therapists, but also the trust families place in us to care for their children with compassion, creativity and dedication.”

Mary Free Bed Kids offers multidisciplinary pediatric rehabilitation for children of all ages and diagnoses. Physical therapists help children build strength, coordination and confidence through personalized, play-based care. Occupational therapists support independence by addressing self-care, daily tasks and participation in meaningful activities. Speech-language pathologists help children overcome communication and feeding challenges, empowering them to express themselves and connect with others. Together, these teams collaborate closely to support each child’s unique goals and potential.

Beyond outpatient services, Mary Free Bed Kids provides a full continuum of care. Its Pediatric Inpatient Rehabilitation Program supports children recovering from serious injuries, illnesses and complex medical conditions. Mary Free Bed Kids Orthotic & Prosthetic + Bionics designs custom solutions to support growing, active kids. Across programs, care is grounded in clinical excellence and a deep commitment to helping kids be kids.

This recognition comes as Mary Free Bed Kids prepares to open Joan Secchia Children’s Rehabilitation Hospital, its state-of-the-art children’s rehabilitation hospital, in fall 2026. The new facility is a joint initiative with Corewell Health Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital and will expand access to world-class, specialized pediatric rehabilitation services, strengthening the continuum of care for children and families across Michigan and beyond.

The crowning ceremony marked a significant milestone in the construction of Joan Secchia Children’s Rehabilitation Hospital. The final steel beam was placed to complete the steel framework of Michigan’s first children’s rehabilitation hospital. It will be the country’s ninth freestanding children’s rehabilitation hospital once it’s completed in fall of 2026.  

This topping off ceremony is really an opportunity to celebrate all of you,” said Kent Riddle, president and CEO of Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation at the event. “This amazing community has come together to make kids’ biggest dreams a reality.” 

 The venture shared by Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation and Corewell Health Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital, was announced in 2022 and a groundbreaking took place in August 2024. The state-of-the-art facility is designed for, and exclusively dedicated to, the rehabilitation of infants, children and teens, and will connect via skybridge across Wealthy Street to the main Mary Free Bed hospital. 

We are joining together two very strong organizations with deep expertise and specialization so that we can provide care together and make it even better,” said Tina Freese Decker, president and CEO of Corewell Health at the event. “More kids will have access to the joint medical, clinical and rehabilitative expertise, so they can be on a faster path to recovery, and so that more kids have those endless opportunities.” 

The final piece of steel going atop the new building helps bring the construction to a total of 390 tons of steel. The final structure will stand 48 feet and 6 inches above grade. The skybridge once completed, will add an additional 135 tons of steel to the project. 

After last summer’s groundbreaking, construction crews began preparing the site, working months on moving 54.6 million pounds of earth. To date, 75 construction workers have been involved on the site. 

Joan Secchia Children’s Rehabilitation Hospital represents something truly, extraordinary, said Rosalynn Bliss, former Grand Rapids Mayor. “This is going to be a world-class hospital, and it’s going to offer them more than just medical care. It’s going to offer them hope, healing, and a path forward on what can be some of their hardest and most difficult days” 

Learn more about the project, and hear from leaders at the crowning ceremony. Watch the livestream video here: 

We’re thankful to the community for supporting this project, and for our dedicated staff who serve our youngest patients and their families with care and compassion. Check out all the photos from the event in the gallery below: