Photos courtesy of Miller Children’s & Women’s Hospital.
The Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) at Miller Children’s & Women’s Hospital is undergoing an expansion in order to meet the growing needs of the community. A three-phase total renovation of the PICU is projected to be complete by early 2018, but until then, why not have a little fun with it?
On Thursday morning, pediatric patients at Miller Children’s tapped into their artistic abilities to add a little color to the otherwise typical construction zone. Patients worked alongside the Turner Construction team, their doctors and their care teams in the renovation area, wearing hard hats and wielding their paint brushes in creative concentration.
And while the mural will be a temporary facet of the ongoing construction at the PICU, the moment was made to last in memory. According to Miller Children’s experts, being able to participate in this one-of-a-kind art project not only allows patients and their families to feel included in the PICU expansion, it helps make an otherwise dire hospital experience a more positive one.
Research shows that being able to create art can improve the physical, mental and emotional wellbeing of patients during a stressful hospitalization.
The PICU at Miller Children’s is used for the most serious pediatric cases admitted from the hospital’s pediatric Emergency Department or transported from more than 30 area hospitals. According to the hospital, more than 1,300 patients are treated in the PICU every year.
Turner Construction built Miller Children’s pavilion in 2010 and is known for undertaking large and complex projects to make a difference in the lives of people, customers and community.
Miller Children’s & Women’s Hospital Long Beach is located at 2801 Atlantic Avenue. For more information, click here.