Thursday July 13

Few days late from all the craziness!

The Mission Hospital was amazing! It was very much designed for children in every way. They even used input from families that had stayed there about what they would like. The walls were painted by a local artist and each hallway had a street name. There were also two toy rooms for the children, one at either end of the unit. Each nurse is only assigned 4-5 patients in the PICU and 1-3 in the NICU all depending on the acuity of the patients. Hospitalization in children can be very difficult as it can cause them to regress in function. "Managing regression in a hospital is resource intensive and can prolong hospital stays" (Lokko. Stern. 2015) prevention is key.  The Mission hospital took this into consideration when creating their floor. They created a separate room for procedures so that children would never associate their own room with negative thoughts.
The hospital took into great consideration the convenience for their patients and their families. Each room has a couch that converts into a bed so the children do not have to stay alone, as well as televisions, and a nourishment area that has healthy drinks and snacks, like fruit.
When in Asheville, North Carolina everything was more modern, from having a Starbucks to the structures of the buildings. Cherokee prides itself on culture and traditions, they even pull nature into their hospital facility.
Of everything we did today, what stood out the most was how different the set ups are from out own and from each other. We do things one way, Cherokee does things another, and Mission Hospital does things a completely different way. Although there were similarities, the overall vision of each facility is vastly different. For instance, Unity Point is "FOCUS" and Cherokee has "The Right Way."

We were also fortunate to tour the Biltmore Estates in the afternoon. This place was amazing! There is no way I could explain the beautiful craftsmanship and artwork that went into this home. Following the roped off guided tour, I still felt loss among the endless halls.

Reference

Lokko, H., & Stern, T. (2015, May 14). Regression: Diagnosis, Evaluation, and Management. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4578899/