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Interactive Game Room Opens at Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital

Hockey Star Pat LaFontaine Brings Business and Design Stars Together to Build State-of-the Art Playroom for Kids

(Sep 7, 2007)

Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital of NewYork-Presbyterian formally opened its Companions in Courage Lion's Den, an interactive computer and video game room that provides a sanctuary where children can go to have fun while they're at the hospital. This new resource goes hand in hand with the Hospital's mission of offering the highest quality patient care in a child-friendly, healing environment.

National Hockey League Hall of Fame Player Pat LaFontaine, through his charitable organization, Companions in Courage (www.CiC16.org), helped create the room with the generous support of Jerome Wood, formerly with the financial services firm Morgan Stanley, his wife Monica, and Cisco Systems Inc.

Pat LaFontaine, founder of Companions in Courage Foundation, said, "I was looking for a way to help children feel more comfortable during a very difficult time of their lives. To see these kids, who carry a heavy load sometimes, forget for a moment about their illness is true magic. I want to thank Jerry and Monica, the members of the Cisco Systems Civic Council in New York and countless others for their help in making this facility possible."

A local charitable organization, Sports Angels, that includes former Brooklyn Dodger Ralph Branca, donated a dozen video monitors for the Lion's Den. Cisco Systems, Microsoft and Full Armor invested a lot of time and energy deploying the technologies in the room.

Mr. Wood, formerly with the financial services firm Morgan Stanley, said, "This is a great moment for Monica and me as well as our entire family. We're proud to have worked with such a fine group of individuals on this very worthy project. The reward of seeing children enjoy this space will last us a lifetime."

Cynthia N. Sparer, Executive Director of Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital of NewYork-Presbyterian, said, "We are very grateful to Companions in Courage and the Wood family for helping us open the doors to this wonderful new center, giving our teenage patients new ways to unwind and connect with friends. The center is an important new addition to our programs for taking care of children at Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital."

The playroom at Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital was designed by Edwin Schlossberg's ESI Design of New York as an immersive environment to foster healing. The room resembles an igloo, with translucent screens hanging on the walls and lighting that changes colors. The main attractions are several XBox-360 video games, donated by the Home Entertainment Division of Microsoft Corporation. The room also features personal computers and a large monitor with video conference capability. These features will make it possible for children to communicate with friends, family, schoolmates and celebrities anywhere in the world using routing, switching and wireless technology funded through a grant from Cisco Systems. Full Armor (www.fullarmor.com) has donated the GPAnywhere software product that works with Microsoft Vista group policy technology to protect children by restricting access to selective web sites, and also enforcing the computer's security configuration.

This Lion's Den is the third of dozens of playrooms Companions in Courage will build across North America. Other rooms are now open at Maria Fareri Children's Hospital at Westchester Medical Center and the Women and Children's Hospital of Buffalo.

"Cisco is very excited to collaborate with Pat LaFontaine, his Companions in Courage foundation, and Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital on this new 'Lions Den,'" said Patrick Finn, Vice President of Vertical Sales at Cisco. "Cisco is proud to provide technology in this effort to help children and their families in the healing process. It's just the beginning of our relationship with Pat LaFontaine and CiC."

The Companions in Courage Foundation is a 501(c)(3) organization founded by NHL Hall-of-Famer Pat LaFontaine as a response to the inspiration he derived while visiting children in hospitals during his 15-year career. The group's goal is to continue building interactive playrooms in children's hospitals throughout North America. Through innovative communications tools, these playrooms replace the isolation of a hospital with a connection to family, friends and celebrities during their hospital stay. For more information, visit www.CiC16.org.

Ranked by U.S.News & World Report as one of the top ten children's hospitals in the country, Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital of NewYork-Presbyterian offers the best available care in every area of pediatrics, including the most complex neonatal and critical care, and all areas of pediatric subspecialties, in a family-friendly and technologically advanced setting. Building a reputation for more than a century as one of the nation's premier children's hospitals, Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital of NewYork-Presbyterian is affiliated with Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, and is New York City's only hospital dedicated solely to the care of children and the largest provider of children's health services in the tri-state area with a long-standing commitment to its community. Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital of NewYork-Presbyterian is also a major international referral center, meeting the special needs of children from infancy through adolescence worldwide. For more information, visit www.nyp.org.