Healing environment lifts spirits, ratings, level of care

Executives of hospitals, clinics and surgery centers throughout northern Nevada now softly speak of sage, sand and cinnamon; of pattern, form and texture; of how their rooms reflect the ambiance of vacation digs at a Hyatt or a Hilton.

Contrast that with a hospital visit in the 1950s visions of floors tiled in stark white and walls painted hospital green, a flat, dusty hue uniform throughout.

Who, exactly, is to blame for hospital green? The idea came from the early 1940s, says Jerry Eich,managing principal with HMC Architects Inc.

of Reno, a design firm specializing in health care and educational facilities.

Color studies showed that when surgeons looked up from the crimson gore of the operating table, their vision was impaired by spots; however, that exact shade of dull,middle green was found to mitigate the problem, says Eich.

Apparently, the paint left over from the surgery was then splashed over the rest of the hospital, leaving patients trapped in a world of bland.

All that changed in the early 1990s, says Eich,when psychologists studied how various colors affected people.

"The colors everyone likes are naturebased color schemes: the color of a lake, of a pine tree," he says.

Designers now study lighting and what it does to colors, says Eich.

The trend is to use as much natural light as possible.

Light now washes even into the operating rooms, via high windows.

"Warm sunshine is accepted by everyone," says Eich."Surgeons and nurses like to be able to see the sky and what's going on outside with the weather."

Creating a "healing environment," as the health care industry calls the movement, means more than happy patients lounging in happy color rooms.

It improves the bottom line of a health care facility.

"Staff satisfaction and patient satisfaction are created through a blending of architecture and operational efficiencies," says Eich.

Today's high demand for nurses means they can go to work where they choose, and, not surprisingly, they choose an attractive environment with a functionally designed floor plan.

"If the patients are happy, the nurses may have to spend less time with them," says Eich.

That leaves more time to spend with other patients.

Sierra Surgery & Imaging, part of the Carson Tahoe Regional Medical Center campus in Carson City, designed patient rooms with a color palette that emulates the natural desert tones, says Joan Lapham, chief executive officer.

"We conducted focus groups to find out what people wanted.

They wanted a more warm and welcoming environment.

A healing environment.

Comfort helps," Lapham says.

Private rooms with cream crown ceiling moldings, colorful pull draperies, bathrooms with decorative tile and pedestal sinks.wireless internet access, atomic clocks, pillow stereo speakers the list of amenities ticked off at the center's recent open house reads like a brochure for a vacation resort.

Sierra Surgery and Imaging was designed by Architectural Nexus of Salt Lake City and built by Hunt Construction Group of Phoenix, with interior design by Deborah Brandt Design Group of Oceanside, Calif.

In the Reno area, Saint Mary's Regional Medical Center and Saint Mary's Galena Outpatient Center reflect the move toward creating a healing environment.

"A whole environment was created that makes people feel comfortable when they walk in," says Dan Gonda, owner's representative at Saint Mary's.

The center at Mt.

Rose Highway is designed with an exterior to match the sightlines of the mountains,with multiple peaks on the roofs, and walls to blend in with the sandy colors of the land.

The exterior appearance does matter, says Gonda, when people choose a medical facility.

The center was open for business in 2001 and Gonda says it's meeting projections for patient use.

Was the cost and work of creating a healing environment worth it? "We spent the money as a longterm investment to demonstrate our commitment to quality," says Gonda, adding that no business expects to recoup an investment immediately.

The center's interior brings the sensation of Nevada scenery inside through earth tones and original artwork commissioned through Sierra Arts Foundation.

Several artists submitted styles for consideration, and Saint Mary's executives selected watercolors.

The center also hosts a gallery, through which Sierra Arts rotates artists'works.

The exterior of Saint Mary's new facilities in downtown Reno,meanwhile, are designed to match the high-rise buildings of that neighborhood, while retaining the feel of the nearby historic Saint Mary's hospital.

The interior keeps in mind that,"we're taking people from acute care to outpatient centers," says Gonda, which means that they should feel like they're taking a step toward their home.

To convey that feeling, the facility uses pastel earth tones, high-quality carpet and wood trims.

Art hangs throughout, in the form of posters using different themes to set the tone of individual areas.

The Galena outpatient facility and the downtown regional medical center were designed by James Leary Architecture and Planning of San Diego and built by Q& D Construction of Reno,with interior design by Deborah Brandt Design Group of Oceanside, Calif.

Where do medical centers such as Sierra Surgery and Saint Mary's get the inspiration to create a healing environment? "A lot of it is driven by the architects," says Gonda."Articles explaining the concepts are written in national health care magazines." The decor makes a substantial difference in the way a hospital works.

"People in a stark environment were reacting as patients,"Gonda says."People in comfortable rooms suddenly were getting better faster."

Plus, the inviting decor inspired more visits from family members.

"Family members were now watching over patients, taking over some of the nurses' visiting duties, which left them more time for their nursing duties," the Saint Mary's executive says.

Nurses are also driving the trend towards an appealing hospital environment.

"Nurses make direct statements over what they want," says Gonda,"such as what surfaces they need for pushing wheelchairs, or pushing beds.

The nurses are saying: Here are the tools we need."