08/01/2025
August 1 to 7 is National Clown Week! Here's a message from our very own Dr. Fun E. Bone, a beloved member of Volunteer Services. He'll be doing his Clown Doctor Rounds on Aug. 1, 4 and 6 โ read below!
National Clown Week was first proclaimed by the President and Congress in 1970 to be observed the first week in August (August 1-7) every year to "call public attention to the charitable activities of clowns and the wholesome entertainment they provide for all our citizens."
Societal perceptions of "clown" are diverse, varied, and in some instances negative, influenced by many of the images projected and portrayed in social media, the general media, politics, and the entertainment industry.
Real clowns like me are professional performing artists who use our skills and our unique comical personas to entertain, make people laugh, distract them from the stress and anxieties of their situations and everyday life, and reach out and bring audiences into moments of spontaneous play.
In the hospital setting, Dr. Fun E. Bone supports the healing process and helps patients deal with the stress of hospitalization by providing humor and laughter-filled distractions from the feelings of fear, anxiety, and sadness.
So to celebrate, Dr. Fun E. Bone will hold clown doctor rounds three days during Clown Week, Fri Aug 1, Mon Aug 4, and Wed Aug 6, dispensing extra red nose transplants, funnybone adjustments, bad jokes, and squeezebox tunes in PEDS, the ED, hallways, waiting rooms, and public areas around the hospital campus, and any other units and patient rooms extending an invite.