Smilezone has come to Port Perry Hospital
Transforming Port Perry Hospital into a Smilezone
Port Perry Hospital is benefiting from a generous donation from Gilbert Kee and Kathy Perna to the Smilezone Foundation. As the Smilezone name suggests, over this past weekend (February 24 – 26) they have transformed the New Life Centre and the Emergency Department waiting areas into Smilezones!
What is a Smilezone?
A Smilezone is custom designed to create therapeutic and interactive spaces. Smilezones provide bright, comforting, engaging and even fun space for children and their families while spending time in a hospital or medical centre. Their motto: “Every child deserves to smile” and their mission “is to make tough days a little brighter for kids receiving treatment in hospitals and health care facilities.”
To add to these smiles, all this is all done over a single weekend. Having transformed hospitals across Canada, the Smilezone team understands patient care must continue without disruption to patients and hospital staff.
New Life Centre (NLC) Transformation:
In the New Life Centre the Smilezone enhancements include:
- Fresh Bright Paint
- Welcome Mural
- Bright Painted Decorative Murals featuring four seasons with local bird life, and
- New Large White Boards to share the very many photos of newborns that have come through these doors, along with space to add future newborn pictures to the centre, for all to enjoy.
“We’re so grateful to Smilezone for coming in to our cozy New Life Centre to brighten up not only our halls, but our patients’ birthing experience. We can’t wait to have our patients’ enjoy all the beautiful murals and add their own baby’s photos to the hallway’s lively colours. Thank you Smilezone!”
Hannah Jeronymo, BScN, RN, MN
Patient Care Manager, Maternal Child- LDRP
Lakeridge Health Ajax/Pickering and Lakeridge Health Port Perry
Emergency Waiting Area Smilezone:
In the Emergency Waiting Area the Smilezone enhancements include:
- Fresh Bright Paint
- Custom Painted Murals of Canada Geese in flight and featuring woodland with local floral and fauna
- A welcome sign in the many and multiple languages of our Durham community
- Two iPad Stations (one wheelchair accessible) equipped with interactive games for children to be able to engage in and enjoy while waiting for care.
Smilezone Foundation has worked closely with Port Perry Hospital Foundation to bring this project to light.
“This project was made possible thanks to Gilbert Kee and Kathy Perna, two very special donors to the Smilezone Foundation, who wanted to bring some more welcoming spaces to the Port Perry Hospital. We are so grateful to Gilbert, Kathy and the Smilezone Foundation for this wonderful gift to our community.”
Rachel Agnoluzzi, CEO
Port Perry Hospital Foundation
These new Smilezones bring so much joy, and will make our hospital a brighter and more inviting space for all for years to come.
Photo Gallery
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