| |
Out of concern for the physical well–being of our employees and our patient families, Childrens Hospital Boston will be a 100 percent smoke–free campus as of November 19.
2010 Benefit Enrollment Packages have been mailed to the homes of all eligible employees. This year, enrollment is required during Open Enrollment Oct. 9 to 23. Please educate yourself on your options, with the help of the Human Resources staff and vendors. Watch the mail for personalized materials, check Childrens Today for updates and the TV monitors throughout the hospital for important Open Enrollment information.
In an effort to create an eco-friendly environments for patients, 7 South has launched a new initiative. Called The Recycle Program, the effort is a collaboration between 7 Souths Green Team and the Environmental Service Department. Products from the bedside as well as waste from the staff lounge and nutrition room are now being recycled.
The Environmental Services department is also using environmental friendly chemicals, microfiber mops and cloths to clean all patient rooms and have trained employees to turn off lights in offices not being used at night.
Every Cumberland Farms in Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Rhode Island gave Childrens Hospital Boston five cents for every cup of coffee sold during July. All that joe raised more than $41,000 for cancer research led by Childrens Scott Armstrong, MD, PhD. Armstrong and Cumberland Farms president Ari Haseotes celebrated by eating cupcakes and coloring with patients during a thank you reception at the hospital.
 |
The new Jiminy Cricket collection in the Childrens Hospital Boston Pulmonary Clinic isnt your average art exhibit. There are no quiet corridors with rows of display cases filled with paintings. Instead, visitors to the Pulmonary Clinic are treated to a vibrant, interactive display that fills each exam room and hall. From the display in the front lobby, filled with marionettes and designed to look like a stage, to the bilingual versions of the same scene in a Jiminy Cricket storybook, to the brightly painted murals, the exhibit makes the Pulmonary Clinic unlike any other space in the hospital.
For Ann Motl Taylor, clinical administrative coordinator in the Pulmonary Clinic, and Betty Bothereau, owner of the local art gallery LAttitude and one of the creative forces behind the display, this exhibition, which officially went up in July, has been more than two years in the making. The collection, based around the iconic character from Walt Disneys classic animated film Pinocchio, includes items such as figurines, lapel pins, musical instruments, wind–up toys, pages from coloring books, watches, Christmas ornaments, stained glass artwork, puzzles, stamps, and even a model sheet used for drawing the original animation cells. When a donor approached Childrens with his extensive collection of Jiminy Cricket memorabilia, several departments put forth proposals, explaining how they would benefit from the collection. One factor that made the Pulmonary Clinic stand out was the uniqueness of the clinics patients.
"For infection control reasons, we dont have a waiting room or any toys for kids to play with," Taylor explains. "Patients have to wait in exam rooms the entire time theyre here. This collection is a great way to keep patients entertained and engaged." Bothereau agrees. "Patients spend a lot of time here and they have to keep coming back."
That factor led to the particular arrangement of the collection of the more than 1,000 individual pieces, many of which date back to the 1940s, when Disney released Pinocchio. Instead of having the collection gathered in one spot, it extends throughout the clinic. Each room is designed around a particular theme. In the Garden Room, Jiminy Cricket drinking cups double as flower pots for fake tulips. The Animation room features an original color chart used by the Disney animators for Pinocchio. In the Water Room, crystal Jiminy figurines are the "jewels" in a treasure chest. With so many figures and displays in each room, families have the potential to see something new and different every time.
In order to make the collection come to life, local artist Joanne Coughlin, who works with LAttitude Gallery, provided all the artwork to set the collection against. Instead of simply having bare wall behind the display cases, Coughlin painted backdrops to compliment each theme, such as her undersea scene in the Water Room or her seasonal landscape in the Seasons Room. As an animator herself, Coughlin captured a bright and dynamic style for the classic character. For variety, the staff requested the addition of other shapes and colors in each room, such as musical notes, umbrellas and stars.
When designing the exhibition, Bothereau and Motl Taylor came across some particular challenges. "In a patient care setting, its not as easy as simply hanging something on the wall," Bothereau says. "You have to make sure its secured in a certain way, behind plexiglass, and placed so patients or parents dont bump their heads." Bothereau and the staff had to be creative about the space they had. As a result, every possible inch of space was utilized–including the few inches of space above cabinets. With display cases installed above these storage units, the collection can be shown without taking up any room used for patient examinations. "Its the little things," says Motl Taylor. "Weve never been so excited about a cabinet."
The historical aspect of the collection is one of the most interesting aspects for many visitors. A highlight for Bothereau was when a 19–year–old patient told her the exhibit made his time in the clinic pass more easily. Parents, who enjoyed Jiminy Cricket when they were young, respond to the collection as well, something Motl Taylor hadnt considered before they started. "Its an opportunity for them to share this character and their own memories with their children."
Of course, the youngest patients are huge fans. Recently, Motl Taylor saw a 3–year–old patient walking around with his own Jiminy Cricket stuffed animal. "It was great," she says. "Im not sure what came first–him visiting us and then liking Jiminy, or him having Jiminy and then coming to see us."
| |
| |
