NEW ORLEANS, Nov. 29, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Aflac, the
leader in voluntary insurance sales at U.S. worksites, today
delivered the first My Special Aflac Ducks to Children's
Hospital in New Orleans. My
Special Aflac Duck, designed by Sproutel, is a social robot
that uses medical play, lifelike movement, and emotions to engage
and help comfort kids during their cancer care. Today's delivery to
Children's Hospital in New Orleans
follows more than 18 months of child-centered research conducted
with children, parents and medical providers at the Aflac Cancer
and Blood Disorders Center of Children's Healthcare of Atlanta.
"As we begin the holiday season we are proud to deliver My
Special Aflac Ducks to children and families facing childhood
cancer here at Children's Hospital in New
Orleans," Aflac Chairman and CEO Dan
Amos said. "My Special Aflac Duck will help provide
comfort and joy for children who need it most during this special
time of year and throughout their treatments on the road to
recovery. Aflac is pleased to make this investment for these
courageous kids in such a great community."
At the delivery event, attendees were treated to a demonstration
of My Special Aflac Duck, highlighting how it will help
comfort children and serve as a tool for health care professionals
to use with their patients. After the demonstration, children and
their parents were sent on a fun scavenger hunt, finding clues and
visiting various locations at the hospital, eventually leading them
to the discovery of their very own My Special Aflac Duck.
Aflac and Sproutel invested nearly two years to research and
develop My Special Aflac Duck.
"We are so pleased to extend My Special Aflac Duck to
this wonderful community and create a memorable day for children as
a symbol of Aflac's unwavering commitment to families facing
childhood cancer. It is a great source of pride for the entire
Aflac family," The Aflac Foundation, Inc. President Kathelen Amos said. "On behalf of our employees
and independent agents, we want to thank the patients, families and
caregivers for allowing us to share our new, innovative
Aflac Duck with brave and special
children in such an impactful way this holiday season."
"When we first heard what Aflac was doing to support children
with cancer, we knew we wanted to be a part of this incredible and
innovative program," Children's Hospital, New Orleans Vice
President of Development Alicia
Franck said. "My Special Aflac Duck is truly a
remarkable way to engage children in our hospital and allow them to
express themselves through both the difficult and joyful
times."
To date, Aflac has hosted special delivery events for My
Special Aflac Duck in five markets (Atlanta; Houston; Nashville; New
Orleans; and Columbia, South
Carolina) and has distributed ducks to children in hospitals
from 31 states. Aflac will continue to expand its My Special
Aflac Duck campaign to hospitals across the country, providing
a My Special Aflac Duck to any newly diagnosed child in
the United States, ages 3-13, free
of charge. At a cost of $200 per unit
to Aflac, the company has invested more than $3 million for the research, design and delivery
of My Special Aflac Duck.
In addition to My Special Aflac Duck, Sproutel has
created a companion app available on the Apple App Store and Google
Play. The app can be downloaded on smartphones and tablets free of
charge. Additional features of My Special Aflac Duck
include:
- Emotional expression: Seven RFID-enabled feeling cards
help children communicate; the duck acts out a given feeling when
that feeling card is tapped to its chest.
- Medical and nurturing play: A chemotherapy port allows
children to mirror their care experiences via play, giving them a
sense of control during the process. The duck's no-cost companion
app allows users to "bathe" it, "feed" it and give it "medicine"
via augmented reality.
- Music, singing and nuzzling: The duck sings when music
is played. Customizable sounds include gentle waves, wind and a
farm.
- Breathing and heartbeat: The duck produces a
naturalistic heartbeat and deep breathing, which caregivers can
incorporate into calming routines and exercises.
- Batteries and accessories: Provided so it is ready to
use out of the box.
- Convenience: A removable skin, which can be washed to
adhere to hospital hygiene standards.
"For more than 20 years, Aflac's efforts to help children and
families facing childhood cancer have been at the forefront of our
corporate responsibility program. Today, we celebrate Aflac's
commitment to the people and families of New Orleans, the Gulf South and beyond,"
Aflac Senior Vice President and
Chief Brand and Communications Officer Catherine Hernandez-Blades said. "We are working
to bring My Special Aflac Duck nationwide, to the more than
15,000 children diagnosed with cancer in America each year. We are
so thankful for Children's Hospital in New Orleans for helping us come closer to
reaching that goal."
Since 1995, Aflac has contributed more than $128 million to the pediatric cancer cause,
including more than $500,000 donated
each month by 17,000 independent agents licensed to sell Aflac
products. The funds are committed directly from their monthly
commission checks. To see My Special Aflac Duck in action
and to learn more about this important cause, please visit
AflacChildhoodCancer.org.
About Aflac
When a policyholder
gets sick or hurt, Aflac pays cash benefits fast. For more than six
decades, Aflac insurance policies have given policyholders the
opportunity to focus on recovery, not financial stress. In
the United States, Aflac is the
leader in voluntary insurance sales at the worksite. Through its
trailblazing One Day PaySM initiative, for eligible
claims, Aflac U.S. can process, approve and electronically send
funds to claimants for quick access to cash in just one business
day. In Japan, Aflac is the
leading provider of medical and cancer insurance and insures 1 in 4
households. Aflac insurance products help provide protection to
more than 50 million people worldwide. For 12 consecutive years,
Aflac has been recognized by Ethisphere as one of the World's Most
Ethical Companies. In 2018, Fortune magazine recognized Aflac as
one of the 100 Best Companies to Work for in America for the 20th
consecutive year and included Aflac on its list of World's Most
Admired Companies for the 17th time. Aflac Incorporated is a
Fortune 500 company listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the
symbol AFL. To find out more about Aflac and One Day
PaySM, visit aflac.com or aflac.com/espanol.
Aflac herein means American Family Life Assurance Company of
Columbus and American Family Life
Assurance Company of New York.
Media contacts:
Aflac – Kristen Fraser, 706.580.3813
or mediarelations@aflac.com
DEVENEY on behalf of Children's Hospital, New Orleans – Carrie
DeVries, 504.881.4841 or cdevries@deveney.com
Aflac analyst and investor contact:
David A. Young, 706.596.3264 or
dyoung@aflac.com
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SOURCE Aflac