Healing Hospitals

“A healing hospital is a place characterized by thousands of small and wonderful things and a few big ones. At the center is love. More than anything else, supports a strong culture of caring. It expresses the deep passion of both patients and caregivers” (Chapman, 2003). Healing hospitals focus on patient-centered care.

Alvord uses her personal experiences of working as a Navajo surgeon to teach her readers the philosophies her people follow to heal. Her philosophy is that instead of looking at each patient as a mechanical system with each part separate, look at their mind, body and spirit as being connected. If one can do this, patient care will improve. She also touches upon being culturally competent in the work place by knowing your patient population’s beliefs on healing and health care. After reading her story, I believe that in order to be the best health care provider one must look into the spiritual aspects of their patients’ lives. As providers we must provide care using the biopsychosocial model of care and become knowledgeable on our patients beliefs. Like Alvord states within her story, we must walk in beauty, become harmoniously connected to those around us, and care for our patients in a positive

At a very early age I felt called to heal people, and the calling has not changed. That same calling became intensified when I was ten years old, I was brought to Emory Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta where I was diagnosed with type one diabetes. Over the course of a week, I was taught how to live a new way of life with my diagnosis. People have the tendency to feel sympathetic or sorry towards a teenage girl living with an incurable autoimmune disease; however, from the moment I was diagnosed I knew God was going to use it to shape my future as a way to glorify him. Over the course of a week, it was inherently noticeable that the professionals spending time with the patients were the nurses on the floor, not the physicians or the physician’s

In contrast, a physical healing environment is carefully constructed and organized. Employees are trained caregivers who are knowledgeable in interacting with patients and families so as to help them cope with their concerns or grief. The environment, by its design, is a strong means of establishing a spiritual relationship through an engagement of all five senses. By choosing colors appropriately, for example, desired effects in human behavior are promoted and psychological systems established - the color green indicates healing, nurturing and conditional love, a symbol of growth (Stefanidakis, 2001). This is because color has the ability to induce emotional responses such as irritability, cheerfulness, or peacefulness. Further, by creating the interior of the hospital in a manner that resembles, even slightly, a church or a temple, providing religious artifacts, say rosary beads, spirituality can be promoted. A patient’s sense of control over their environment must be kindled (e.g., lighting and temperature) so that stress relief may occur.

A growing topic in healthcare today is the focus on promoting a “healing” environment. While many consider all hospitals, nursing homes and rehabilitation centers to be healing facilities they are not recognized as such by the Baptist Healing Trust of Nashville Tennessee. To be deemed a “healing hospital” a facility possesses three key components which are not only physical in nature but spiritual as well. By recognizing the relationship between the two, a facility is able to overcome many of the barriers that present challenges for other companies. By identifying the key components and broken barriers one can

Healing Hospitals have specific components that comprise their makeup. They are” 1) A healing physical environment, 2) The integration of work design and technology. 3) A culture of radical loving care” (Mercy Gilbert Medical Center, n.d.). These three components intermingled with spiritualty makes up the basis for the healing hospital.

When a patient enters the healthcare setting the primary focus is the process of helping the patient get better. Patient care has emerged into the healing hospital paradigm. This new focus is on patient care and not just the disease process. Healthcare organizations are now recognizing that the latest research demonstrates the benefits of a healing environment. Healthcare providers need to reach people on a personal level. The concept of the healing hospital paradigm research reveals that specific design changes in healthcare

For health care providers to deliver the best holistic care that patients deserve, a thorough spiritual assessment must be included during their care. With more research showing a relationship between supporting a patient’s spirituality with their health and ability to cope with illness, it is now a requirement of organizations to include a spiritual assessment to maintain accreditation with The Joint Commission. The minimum required of a spiritual assessment by The Joint Commission is to determine the patient’s religion and

In both Buddhism and Christianity, there are critical component of healing such as prayers, meditation, belief and yoga. In holistic medical care, the medical personnel must take care of all aspect of the patient which includes the body, the emotions and the spiritual. The doctors and nurses should ensure that that they offer all necessary support that is

A healing hospital is a healing community providing radical loving care (Journal of Sacred Work, 2009) in a safe environment that focuses on human interaction, interpersonal caring and enhancing the wellbeing of patients, caregivers, and all other members of the healing community. While a healing hospital is, of course, dedicated to providing excellent medical care to its patients (Mercy Gilbert Medical Center, 2012), it is also dedicated to integrating work design and technology (Mercy Gilbert Medical Center, 2012), and ultimately to the overall wellness of every healing community member. Using physical healing, education and supportive human interaction, this care model seeks healing on physical, mental, emotional and spiritual levels for everyone involved in the process (Zarren, n.d., pp. 1-2). The success of this model requires the cooperation of every

One of the changes in the healthcare is the fact that over the years the focus has shifted from mainly investing in technology to a healing hospital initiative. These hospitals provide a safe healing environment that aims to reduce the stress and anxiety associated with hospitalization. Furthermore, healing hospitals promote a culture of “Radical Loving Care “ and offer affordable, high quality care, which takes into consideration patient’s body mind and spirit.

A hospital is a place that people go to for healing and help. Many associate fear with hospitals due to previous experiences. Rather than relaxing and having optimal time to heal, hospitals can create stressful environments for patients as well as employees. A new type of hospital setting breaking out in the healthcare industry are healing hospitals that provides a patient centered environment. In this paper I will discuss the aspects of a healing hospital, its relationship to spirituality, the challenges of creating a healing environment, and finally the biblical aspects of a healing hospital.

Why People Don’t Heal and How They Can is a book I read with the career-focused intention of learning another, experienced stance on how to better treat others spiritually, mentally, and physically through different methods of holistic healing. However, shortly after I had begun reading, it had become apparent to me that the author, Dr. Caroline Myss, would be bringing more to the table than the average, new-age, “mind heals body heals spirit” broken record that seems to be repeatedly recycled under multiple authors. Through this book, Myss not only explained how the mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual bodies were all connected; she elaborated on how societal

ned spirituality and reaching in to help the patient improve and heal from the inside.

Most people go through their whole lives hating emergency rooms and hospitals. The white-washed halls remind them of death; the sterile scent that cling to the nurses' uniforms a stark reminder of impending goodbyes; the billowing white coats and clipboards of doctors a bad-news waiting to be delivered on a cold tray.