Kyle Dutton

Dec. 23, 2024
A photo of Kyle Dutton.
Kyle Dutton

Security officer spreads joy and uses 3D printing to comfort young visitors

At UCHealth Parkview Medical Center, Kyle Dutton, a security officer is doing more than helping create a safe environment – he’s creating smiles.

Armed with a 3D printer and a heart full of compassion, Dutton spends time away from work crafting and printing toy animals for children visiting the hospital.

He hands toys out to kids during his shifts as they enter the hospital as a means to entertain, soothe and distract from what sometimes can be an intimidating visit. One of his most popular toys is a long dragon that can be twisted and wiggled around, but he also creates a variety of other animals.

Dutton recently purchased a 3D printer to craft toys for his two autistic children.

“I wanted to be able to make them little fidget toys to play with, and they liked it so much that I just started printing a bunch of them off to bring here to work,” said Dutton, who joined Parkview in July.

He’s not doing it for praise, but Dutton said the feedback he has gotten from this endeavor has been all positive.

Whether they’re here for something routine or serious, or if they’re coming for something impacting them or a loved one, hospitals can be an anxiety-filled visit for children.

“They appreciate it, the parents appreciate it,” Dutton said of his toys. “Your goal is just to maybe, one, reduce boredom for kids and maybe, two, give them a little distraction while they’re here. It just keeps their mind off things a little bit and it’s a good distraction.”

Dutton has been giving out his 3D toys for about two months and he estimates he’s handed out close to 40 of them.

He uses his own money to purchase rolls of film to be able to print the creations.

The creation process involves Dutton finding files online of fidget animal toys, downloading and splicing them and then inserting them into the printer.

Most of the creations take about 6-7 hours to finish. Dutton said he enjoys watching the printer do its thing sometimes, but for the most part he will start the printer and check back in on it intermittently over time to make sure everything is progressing as it should.

Dutton has no plans to stop his hobby anytime soon, so visitors to Parkview can look forward to receiving animals from him if he happens to be working the day and time they arrive.

Macy Archuletta, Dutton’s manager, said she is proud of what he is doing.

“Kyle Dutton is fairly new to the Parkview security department. In this short time, he has brought lots of laughs and happiness, especially when handing out his 3D animals. My favorite has been the turtle he gave me. We look forwarding to seeing the new animals he makes.”

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About the author

Ryan Severance joined UCHealth Parkview Medical Center as a digital media specialist in 2020. Before coming to Parkview, Severance had an extensive background as a journalist having worked at the Pueblo Chieftain from March 2012 to December 2020. At the Chieftain he reported on many different beats and produced video and photographs. Severance earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Colorado Boulder in 2010. He lives in Pueblo, Colorado and enjoys sports, golfing, movies and going to concerts.