ARRRRRGH….Pirate Family Fun Day!
By Diana Guayara
Broward Health Coral Springs(BHCS) is marking an important milestone on Saturday, May 2nd with a community unveiling and celebration of its NEW pediatric ER and inpatient unit. Showcasing an underwater theme décor that makes any child feel as if they are in Disney, the unit takes you through an underwater “feel better” castle and massive, life-size coral entry ways and down waterway hallways full of colorful portholes with photography that depicts a story of what is done at the hospital. “The art is a true masterpiece that our pediatric patients, families and employees can enjoy,” said Caren Bock, nurse manager of children’s services for BHCS.
The design was done with the youngest patients and their families in mind to convey an environment of compassion and healing. Every patient room is themed with a different colorful sea creature showing compassion to each other through its eye and body expressions. “The idea is for the artwork to help make an overall experience of pain and suffering less traumatic by creating a caring atmosphere of compassion and security. We want to go the extra mile to make our patients feel comfortable and cared for,” said Bock
The renovations were made possible through donated funds from the Broward Health Gala and an employee-driven donation campaign, “Give from the Heart.” The idea for the renovations grew out of the hospital’s strategic plan to complement the impressive services that the hospital’s pediatric program has brought to the community such as; the only Concussion Program in Broward County, the expansion of the Pediatric Drowning Prevention Task Force to educate families, the long standing Pet Therapy program, Camp Coral Kids (South Florida’s only medically supervised diabetic camp), specialized pediatric rehabilitation services, and ER for Kids which prides itself on the “no child should wait philosophy.” Voted “Best ER,” BHCS functions on a “Mushin” (Japanese for silent flow) approach that was implemented by Dr. James Roach, ER medical director at BHCS. “The medical team is seamless, following an efficient system that has brought improved levels of customer service and wait times far exceeding both state and national bench marks,” said Dr. Roach. “This has resulted in an 83% decrease in wait time which translates to a 14 minute average wait time from the time you walk in to the time you are seen by a provider.” This makes BHCS the quickest ER in Broward County as ranked by Hospital Compare.
Dr. Anthony Martell, Chief of Pediatrics at BHCS states that the initial goal was to strengthen and augment the internal operational and clinical components of the pediatric services based on the hospital’s strategic plan. “Now that we have made significant headway, we are ready to unveil the welcoming setting that complements our services,” said Dr. Martell.
The unveiling celebration is a FREE pirate family fun day on May 2nd from 11am -2pm on the north side parking lot of Broward Health Coral Springs, 3000 Coral Hills Drive. Continual tours of the pediatric areas take place through the entire event. The outside fun includes a 34-foot pirate ship. Yep, you heard right! Climb between 5 decks and watch pirates role play as they battle the enemy and mermaids come to life in an adventure show. Meet and greet the pirates and mermaids for a photo op. Experience REAL parrots, our pet therapy dogs, pirate crafts, bounce houses, ambulance, fire truck & ambulance tours, police vans, safety stations including Sparky’s Fire House along with tons of other fun and educational activities. And don’t forget to wear your pirate & mermaid costumes! Door Prizes will be given to the little pirates and mermaids. For more information, call 954-344-3344 or log onto www.browardhealth.org/PirateDay
