Maimonides opens new sensory room

Maimonides Medical Center recently opened a new sensory room in its children’s hospital.

The space will benefit patients by promoting play and stress relief through visual, tactile and mobile stimulation.

The Kirsch Family Foundation donated $90,000 to Maimonides Child Life Services, which helped the hospital fund the room.

The foundation was created by Hyman Kirsch, who also founded Kirsch Beverages in the early 1900s. 

The beverage company was sold in 1980, and the Kirsch Family Foundation supported many organizations until 2022, when the family donated the remainder of its funds to Maimonides Children’s Hospital.

Jeffrey Avner, MD, chair of pediatrics at the children’s hospital said, thanked the Kirsch family for the donation.

“We have a common mission to help and uplift children and families here in our Brooklyn community, and they were instrumental in making the Child Life Team’s vision of a sensory room in our pediatric unit a reality,” Avner said. “The family celebrates a longstanding tradition of giving back to the Brooklyn community, and their legacy will persist here at Maimonides in the cheerful and inviting environment they have helped us to create.”

Robin Kirsch, Hyman Kirsch’s great-granddaughter, was happy to see the results of the foundation’s contribution.

“It’s wonderful to see our great-grandfather’s legacy of compassion continue,” she said. “We appreciate the dedication and expertise of all of the professionals who care so much about their patients and families.”