Community Event at new Children’s Hospital

The people have spoken. Following Saturday’s community dedication celebration at the new Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, Children’s Hospital, the public showed an outpouring of support and appreciation for the new building. Nearly 3,000 community members flooded the building on Saturday. Many parents shared their children’s favorite elements of the public spaces; from the climbing area leading to the front door to the nature wall and THON photos – the public is already enjoying the space.

Because this is a children’s hospital, we designed features like the nature wall as a way to relieve stress for families entering the hospital and during their stay. The nature wall is a panelized glass system featuring the changing seasons and an interactive A/V component displaying animal life and nature patterns native to central Pennsylvania. Furthermore, we sought to cultivate a comforting and comfortable patient experience with the design of the elevator lobbies, floor patterns and the color pattern. Every moment in the hospital is meant to engage and inspire the patients and their families. Patient rooms were designed with a focus on family-centered care.  All patient rooms are single patient with a dedicated parent zone and caregiver zone. There is a defined caregiver zone, patient zone, and parent/family zone. The adjacent room-side charting stations in the corridors allow the staff to observe patients from the corridor, maintaining privacy and decreasing interruption.  The building’s design intends to engage children at all stages of development, from the toddler room with interactive bubble tubes to the lounge style teen room.

Every element of the building is designed with the children and families in mind. Enjoy the photos from the community event.