Hospital testing scents in new lobby
Maria Zilberman
Posted 11/05/08
Northwest Hospital in Randallstown hopes to keep patients and visitors calm in a new outpatient lobby that features soft music and aromatherapy.
The nontraditional lobby was funded by a donation of $850,000 from the Howard S. Brown family, of Pikesville. Howard Brown named the lobby the Sara and David S. Brown lobby in honor of his parents.
The lobby is largely complete and in use, featuring small seating areas for individual families, flat-screen televisions and a lot of natural lighting, said Eric Wexler, president of Northwest Hospital and senior vice president of LifeBridge Health, a regional health care organization.
The hospital will test several aromas in the lobby in the coming weeks, Wexler said.
“The concept is to eliminate the typical cleaning odor of hospitals to reduce the stress of those waiting,” he said.
Brian Sanderoff, pharmacist and CEO of Your Prescription for Health, a natural pharmacy on Dolfield Road in Owings Mills, praised the idea of using aromatherapy in a hospital lobby, citing lavender, sandalwood, bergamot and clary sage as aromas with calming properties.
“Because the nerves from the nose go directly into the brain, aromas are a direct way of affecting many aspects of brain function including emotion and mood,” said Sanderoff, adding that sensitivities to the chemical compounds of aromas and quality of essential oils used to produce aromas are two concerns with aromatherapy.
Brown, who has previously donated to Sinai Hospital, Kennedy Krieger Institute and the University of Maryland Medical System, said the new lobby is important to the initial impression visitors have of the hospital.
“I think they’re doing a fabulous job at Northwest, and a lot of people are pleased with their treatment. Their approach to creating a warm environment and new façade allows the curb appeal to continue from the outside all the way through the building,” Brown said.
The new lobby is part of Northwest Hospital’s “Renaissance Campaign” renovation project, a $100 million renovation that started in 2003, Wexler said. LifeBridge Health and state grants paid for a majority of the renovations, but the hospital also set a $5 million private goal that it has now met with Brown’s help.
The second phase of the lobby construction will connect the Sara and David S. Brown lobby to the main lobby of the hospital and should be complete by the end of winter, Wexler said.
“It’s difficult to decide between building a lobby and clinical areas, but we believe in a balance between clinical areas and the comfort of our patients and visitors,” Wexler said.
The hospital is planning the second phase of its surgical services department renovation, including new recovery areas and four new operating rooms, and continuing the renovation of in-patient units and the diagnostic catheterization laboratory, which is part of the cardiology department, Wexler said.
The nontraditional lobby was funded by a donation of $850,000 from the Howard S. Brown family, of Pikesville. Howard Brown named the lobby the Sara and David S. Brown lobby in honor of his parents.
The lobby is largely complete and in use, featuring small seating areas for individual families, flat-screen televisions and a lot of natural lighting, said Eric Wexler, president of Northwest Hospital and senior vice president of LifeBridge Health, a regional health care organization.
The hospital will test several aromas in the lobby in the coming weeks, Wexler said.
“The concept is to eliminate the typical cleaning odor of hospitals to reduce the stress of those waiting,” he said.
Brian Sanderoff, pharmacist and CEO of Your Prescription for Health, a natural pharmacy on Dolfield Road in Owings Mills, praised the idea of using aromatherapy in a hospital lobby, citing lavender, sandalwood, bergamot and clary sage as aromas with calming properties.
“Because the nerves from the nose go directly into the brain, aromas are a direct way of affecting many aspects of brain function including emotion and mood,” said Sanderoff, adding that sensitivities to the chemical compounds of aromas and quality of essential oils used to produce aromas are two concerns with aromatherapy.
Brown, who has previously donated to Sinai Hospital, Kennedy Krieger Institute and the University of Maryland Medical System, said the new lobby is important to the initial impression visitors have of the hospital.
“I think they’re doing a fabulous job at Northwest, and a lot of people are pleased with their treatment. Their approach to creating a warm environment and new façade allows the curb appeal to continue from the outside all the way through the building,” Brown said.
The new lobby is part of Northwest Hospital’s “Renaissance Campaign” renovation project, a $100 million renovation that started in 2003, Wexler said. LifeBridge Health and state grants paid for a majority of the renovations, but the hospital also set a $5 million private goal that it has now met with Brown’s help.
The second phase of the lobby construction will connect the Sara and David S. Brown lobby to the main lobby of the hospital and should be complete by the end of winter, Wexler said.
“It’s difficult to decide between building a lobby and clinical areas, but we believe in a balance between clinical areas and the comfort of our patients and visitors,” Wexler said.
The hospital is planning the second phase of its surgical services department renovation, including new recovery areas and four new operating rooms, and continuing the renovation of in-patient units and the diagnostic catheterization laboratory, which is part of the cardiology department, Wexler said.
user comments (1)
user dianes1 says...
It sounds like Northwest Hospital in Randallstown, MD is really trying to make their hospital a welcoming place. However, since I have chemical sensitivies, waiting in their lobby could very well produce a number of adverse health reactions such as headache, rash, dizziness, slurred speech, foggy thinking, etc. It's extremely hard to obtain "pure" essential oils that are used in aromatherapy. Most of them contain synthetic ingredients and therein lies the problem. I urge the hospital to discontinue this practice - for the health of all concerned.
Posted 6:59 PM, 01.05.09
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement