Making hospitals less scary – an initiative powered by KP

       

With Halloween just behind us, there is no better time to think about how kids deal with fear. The thrill of the moment, the scary spooky stuff that makes them giggle. They enjoy trick or treating, knocking on doors, receiving candy, gathering with friends and family – they have the time of their lives.

But fear should stay limited to Halloween, or perhaps watching a zombie movie. Children should not have to deal with feeling afraid in “real life”. A trip to the doctor’s office should never be a scary time for the little ones.

With that in mind, Kaiser Permanente in Honolulu, HI chose to innovate - and what better place to start than their state of the art pediatrics wing? With a few exchanges with our design team, the theme Safari was chosen and the project was well on its way.               

Zebras, giraffes, lions, cheetahs, hippos, elephants and bird wall decals now live on previously beige boring walls. Trees, grass and sunsets complete the savanna. Paw print floor stickers indicate the way throughout the hospital’s floor.



 

This lively facility could not be farther from the cold corporate typical look traditional hospitals tend to have. Needless to say that children love the new space and so does the staff. The overall reaction was: Wow! Or Whoooah! like kids today say.

To have our wall decals be a part of this amazing initiative is an honor for us at Dezign With a Z. We love that this friendly design makes a hospital feel more welcoming and a little less scary for little ones. Going to a doctor’s appointment should be about feeling better and we are glad that our products make that become a reality.



Our hope is that this idea would spread like wild fire. Making hospitals around the US and the world more inviting is within reach. Why not making the effort to ease off the tension and treat visitors as guests rather than patients?

Tags: safari savanna animals wall decals and wall stickers