KAISER PERMANENTE
of San Diego
On June twentieth, 2005, a letter of agreement was signed between Success Optimists and Kaiser Permanente to begin an extensive upgrade on the pediatric ward of their San Diego Zion hospital. An historic first for Kaiser Permanente, and the Optimists, they had entered into a relationship of extraordinary trust, to transform the tired, gray pediatric ward into a tropical rainforest of vibrant color and vitality. With their new wellness "Thrive Campaign", Kaiser Permanente had come to share common values with the Optimists, and vowed to work together for the "benefit of the children".
This signing represented nearly two years of work, and thousands of volunteer hours. When the artwork for the first four rooms was unveiled in November of 2005, to a crowd of over two hundred, which included doctors, nurses and administrators from Kaiser Permanente, there were shouts of joy, and even tears. The dream of a Children's Rainforest is now a reality, and the Success Optimists and their partners want to share the details of this accomplishment with the sincere hope that this story will inspire change among other healthcare providers. It is with the combined forces of body, mind and spirit that we achieve the greatest healing results, and a positive, colorful and creative environment should be considered elemental to modern healthcare and healing.
Over 140 years ago, Florence Nightengale wrote:
"The effect on sickness of beautiful objects, of variety of objects and especially of brilliancy of color is hardly at all appreciated. People say the effect is only in the mind. It is no such thing. The effect is on the body too. Little as we know about the way we are affected by form, by color and light, we do know this; they have an actual physical effect. Variety of form and brilliancy of color in the objects presented to patients are actual means of recovery."
In a unique partnership with the Optimists, Kaiser Permanente is committed to transforming the dated, colorless rooms of their pediatric unit into a bright, healing rainforest.
Overview
Most older healthcare facilities did not consider allowing extra space for decorative features. Hallways were kept at their minimums, and function seemed to be the only consideration in their design. The challenge is to choose the proper medium and techniques to introduce depth and color into these restricted spaces. In the Kaiser Permanente situation, code allowed us to add no more that 1 1/2"of depth to the walls. All introduced surfaces must be non-porous, and cleanable. For the mosaics, glass tile was selected for its strength, vibrancy of color and appearance of depth. The stained glass in the windows would allow us to continue the theme using brilliant, translucent colors. Within the rooms, we have selected complementary fabrics, colors and décor, which enhance the rainforest theme.
Planning
Because of the many regulations, which need to be considered when working in the healthcare facilities, good planning and accurate drawings are essential. Using field measurement, drawings include floor plans, door and window schedules, along with elevation and construction detail drawings. From this, the "concept" drawings are created. With the acceptance of the concept, all art is entered into a CAD (computer aided design) program, which are printed in actual size to provide the templates for the artists to assemble stained glass and mosaic murals. Complementary décor completes the theme, as a different rainforest creature represents each room. The larger animals are put into scenes with their babies, or interacting with smaller creatures, to avoid any threatening appearance.
Through extensive study of each animal and their habitat, we develop the concept drawings. Though each room has it's own animal representative, it is important that there is design flow through the facility. Elevation concept drawings insure continuity of theme.
The dream of a Children's Rainforest is now a reality, and the Success Optimists and their partners want to share the details of this accomplishment with the sincere hope that this story will inspire change among other healthcare providers
Please feel free to contact the Success Optimists for further planning details:
- Consulting
- Cost estimating
- Letter of agreement template
- Drawing samples
- Fundraising and business plan
- Project planning and scheduling
"Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better"
-Albert Einstein
