50 Pieces of Art will be Displayed During Formal Reception

Ever hear the expression that a picture is worth a thousand words? It can also promote emotional and spiritual healing for patients at Cooper University Hospital.

On Tuesday, May 10, 2011, more than fifty pieces of original artwork from all over the country were on display during a formal reception at Cooper University Hospital. The donated artwork will add to a healing environment within the hospital, which is an important part of the patient and family-centered care philosophy at Cooper. By incorporating scenic artwork of nature and serenity into the healing process, it will contribute to the patient’s emotional and physical wellbeing during their hospital stay.

Healing Art Works, a non-profit organization, has teamed up with Cooper to provide unique artwork by artists from across the country in more than seven states including Virginia, Pennsylvania, Maryland, North Carolina and California. Using various mediums including watercolor, oil, acrylic, colored pencils and pastels, these artists have donated their time to create serene, uplifting scenes to enhance the healing process for patients and visitors staying in Cooper’s Oncology and Maternity units.

“As a Planetree hospital, Cooper is focused on patient and family-centered care,” said Christine Messina-Boyer, Director of Patient and Family Centered Care at Cooper. “We have a very active Healing Environment employee taskforce is so happy to have this beautiful artwork which will do so much for our patient care areas.”

Healing Art Works is committed to providing original art for patient spaces at hospitals, medical centers, and outpatient facilities in order to facilitate emotional and physical healing through art. The organization was founded by Dorothy Alexander Muccilli in the summer of 2005 as a personal mission to honor the life of her deceased sister Sue F. Alexander Tressler.

“Sue had a great appreciation for the arts and would be pleased with our contribution to Cooper,” said Dorothy Muccilli.

Cooper would like to thank both the artists and Healing Art Works for their generous donation.

Dan McArdle, NA, Patient Care Services

New wall mounted white boards are being installed in each of the patient rooms at the foot of the bed. The installation began late February and will continue until all the patient rooms are completed.

Additionally, gripper strips are being placed on patient doors and in patient rooms above the heads of the bed. The gripper strips are excellent places to post pertinent information regarding patient care and can be shared with all caregivers.

The white boards can be used to communicate important information to patients and their families to help them identify caregivers and understand more about their care. At the top of the board is the new “Putting Patients First” slogan, which was coined by Dan McArdle, NA, who won the slogan competition. Dan received 1500 points in the Rewards and Recognition gift website for his winning slogan. There were nearly 100 employees who entered over 225 slogans.

Caregivers update the board at each shift. Each unit is making the decision of which physician name is appropriate – some prefer attending, others the resident. The last line of the board will have a “little something” about the patient, which can help staff personalize their conversations with the patient. l

Shaina Horton, 9th Floor patient, enjoys her daughter Zoe’s first visit with Santa (Security’s Joe Flatley).

Members of the 9th Floor staff organized an event for a patient who expressed sadness over missing her daughter’s first visit with Santa.

Cooper’s Christina Hunter, RN, BSN, OCN, Oncology Clinical Educator, explains:

“On the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, Stephanie Jennings, RN, came to me with tears in her eyes regarding her patient Shaina Horton. Shaina has been a patient with us since August, and she is receiving treatment for a rare cancer. In April, Shaina gave birth to a beautiful baby girl, Zoe. Shaina has missed many of Zoe’s first-year milestones because she has been with us in the hospital. When Shaina’s family told her that they would take Zoe to see Santa, Shaina started to cry. That’s when Stephanie Jennings came to me and said, “What can we do?”

I e-mailed Kim Santana (Director of Patient Relations and Volunteer Services) to see if a Santa suit was available, and then I called Paul Murray (Security Director) because I vaguely remembered that a security officer used to play Santa. Paul gave me the name and extension of Security Officer Joe Flatley. When I spoke to Joe, he was touched by Shaina’s story and told us that whatever we needed, day or night, he would help us. We arranged with the family to have baby Zoe here for Friday, November 26, at 3 p.m.

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We’re happy to announce a new tradition to celebrate the birth of babies at Cooper. Each time a baby is born at the hospital, a few notes of “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star” is played over the public address system throughout One Cooper Plaza.

Respecting patients’ need for rest, the program is in effect during the hours of 6:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. For babies born overnight, the tone is played at 6:30 a.m.

Thank you to the Planetree Spirituality Component Team, which pioneered the idea, and to Mike Clark in IT, who installed the technology, and all the Health Care Access and Obstetrics staff who helped make the program possible. This is one more way Cooper is incorporating the Planetree philosophy to humanize, demystify and personalize the hospital for patients and our workplace.

The votes are in!  Employee entries for the Planetree Cute Pet photo contest totaled over 700 and came from nearly every department in the Cooper system – from Willingboro to Voorhees and from Camden to Washington Township.

There were so many to choose from and all show pride, passion and a wonderful love of animals. You can still view all the pet photos; click on the gallery on the front page of the employee portal.

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