There are now SmileZones in North Bay. The Smilezone Foundation goes coast to coast setting up rooms in hospitals and Children Treatment Centres that puts smiles on kids faces.

There are now 6 rooms set up in North Bay.

Four of them are at the North Bay Regional Health Centre and the other two at One Kids Place.

Chair of the foundation is Scott Bachly.

He says the idea came from former NHL player Adam Graves who noticed there are rooms at hospitals in the United States that are set up for one purpose to get kids to smile.

Hospital officials says their smile zone is in the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Unit while the two locations at One Kids Place have different purposes.

One includes a climbing wall and a swing and the other room includes storage space for equipment that will be loaned out and some open areas as well.

Executive Director of One Kids Place Dennis Filiatrault says one of the big positives from this announcement is to help kids develop their full potential.

Bachly says there are 92 SmileZones in the country and they will reach 100 soon.

The North Bay Battalion long supporters of One Kids Place were on hand for today’s announcement.

 

smile zone hosp