Memphis patients, staff and community members now have easy access to evaluate the features, functionality and flexibility of a Wellness Room, a healing environment that looks more like a room in a home and less like a traditional hospital room. Methodist North Hospital in Memphis recently opened the demonstration room, which was designed and installed by Wellness Environments, a provider of integrated solutions for clinical spaces that are being built or renovated.
"We were very impressed with the concept of Wellness Environments," said William Kenley, chief executive officer, Methodist North Hospital. "We were renovating and expanding our ICU to bring the most up-to-date technology to our community. It made sense for us to include one of the Wellness rooms as a model for our hospital system.
"The response we are receiving from the patients is overwhelmingly positive," he said. "Patients really like the lighted artwork in the room and they say the room does not feel like a hospital room."
Everything in the demonstration room is fully functional, which allows staff and visitors to see the spacious room and experiment with its many distinctive features. The in-room Nurse Station, for instance, provides a separate area for the nursing and clinical staff to work without using the patient's private bathroom and without leaving the room. Adjacent to the nurse station is a Clinical Information Center, a recessed data module that can house a computer, flat screen monitor, keyboard, mouse and work surface. The bathroom features the Redondo, a 48-inch ADA-compliant vanity with radius corners for easy housekeeping and lower risk for spreading nosocomial infections. And the entire Wellness Room features the WellcareTM Wall System, highly durable and modular panels that eliminate the need for on-site finishing.
The demonstration room also features many Wellness ElementsTM, state-of-the-art amenities that bring a sense of balance and harmony to the room. For example, the Ventura armoire's rich cherry finish is sleek in design yet accommodates a 26" flat screen TV. The room also contains two backlit photographic nature scenes: one near the bed and the other directly over the bed in the canopy, which houses the air diffuser, exam lights and patient lights, all of which can be controlled by the patient using a pillow switch. The room's flooring was donated by Mannington and the wall base from Johnsonite Floor.
The Wellness Rooms have received extremely high marks at other facilities including The Women's Hospital at Centennial Medical Center in Nashville, Tenn. In a study conducted at the hospital, patients, physicians and staff rated the Wellness Room superior to traditional patient rooms. Eighty percent of the staff at the facility indicated that patients in a Wellness Room complained less frequently than patients in other rooms, a testament to the "patient friendly" aspects of the room. Further, 80% said they would request a delay admission if possible to get a Wellness Room.
About Methodist Healthcare
Methodist Healthcare is an integrated healthcare delivery system based in Memphis, Tenn. Founded in 1918 by The United Methodist Church to help meet the growing needs for quality healthcare in the Mid-South, Methodist Healthcare is a seven-hospital system that includes a home health agency, surgery and diagnostic centers, and outpatient clinics serving Memphis, Shelby County and the surrounding area. With 1,677 licensed beds and 64,401 discharges in 2005, Methodist is the third largest hospital in the country based on admissions. It has 10,000 employees, making it the second largest private employer in Memphis. Methodist's areas of focus include cardiology, oncology, neurosciences, women's services, pediatrics and transplant services.
Visit the web site at methodisthealth.
About Wellness Environments
Wellness Environments resolves many of the safety, patient satisfaction and long-term construction challenges that hospitals large and small face. Whether a new building project or a renovation, Wellness Environments' products and services result in a more satisfying atmosphere for patients and their families, greater staff contentment and productivity, and unique financial and operational advantages for the hospital. These benefits are realized, in part, due to the use of evidence-based design to ensure an effective, efficient healing environment. At Wellness Environments, this means individual components - such as furniture, nurse stations, bathing units and vanities, artwork, lighting and the Wellcare Wall SystemTM - are designed using soothing colors, easy-to-maintain surfaces and durable finishes. The company's offerings are ideal for emergency departments, intensive care units, operating theatres, hospice suites and patient care rooms.
For More Information
To learn more about the Wellness Environments' innovative approach to creating patient and clinical spaces based on research, experience and best practices, contact Wellness Environments at 615-321-5052, toll-free outside of Nassite at wellnessenvironments .
One Vantage Way
Suite B-440
Nashville, TN 37228
USA
Tel: 615-321-5052
Fax: 615-321-5251
wellnessenvironments