The Golden Hospital, led Dr. Adam Watchorn (project lead) and Lindsay Sutton (project manager), have been working on a project over the past year in the Golden Emergency Department to make it more ‘Kid Friendly.’
The emergency department can be a scary place for kids, especially if they require a painful procedure such as a laceration repair, say the pair.
Their goal was to create a space for kids that helps create a sense of comfort.
The room will also be stocked up on fun kids toys and stickers, a virtual reality headset, and other distraction techniques to assist kids during their emergency stay.
Along with Jo Evison, Zoe Evans and Melissa Sharpe (nursing leaders), they came up with a plan to renovate a space in the hospital.
The project has been partially funded through the Facility Engagement Initiative with Doctors of B.C.
Facility Engagement is a province wide initiative to strengthen communication, relationships and collaboration between facility-based physicians and their health authorities.
The goal is to increase meaningful physician involvement in health authority decisions about their work environment and the delivery of patient care.
Golden has been a part of the initiative for five years, and has completed multiple projects along the way. Facility Engagement helped fund the time to plan and execute the project.
Bradley Poole, with Yoho Painting, cleared his schedule and offered his time to help make the vision come to a reality, leaving project organizers thrilled with how the room turned out.