Positive by design

Hospital keeps young patients’ emotions in mind

No one wants to see children get sick, but when they do, at least the new American Family Children’s Hospital in Madison can bring a smile to their faces.

Built just west of the University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics, the hospital’s innovative design incorporates kid-friendly elements such as a town square-style lobby, complete with a movie theater, replica lighthouse and play center. It also features floor coverings designed with farm, lake and tree themes.

Hallways, floors and ceilings feature a rainbow of lively colors to soothe young patients.

“Being able to say, ‘Your appointment is in the yellow barnyard hallway’ is a lot better than, ‘Go down that scary corridor,’” said Jim Yehle, project manager for J.H. Findorff and Son Inc., Madison. “They really think about who their patients are.”

Yehle said designing the $78 million hospital required cooperation between doctors, nurses and patients. Each group contributed ideas on what should be included, he said.

“It was a fun job with a fun result,” Yehle said. “When I hear it’s busy now, it’s a little bittersweet, because it means there’s a lot of sick kids. But the reality is, there are sick kids, so it’s nice to give them a good place to get treatment.”

In addition to the 420,000-square-foot building’s unique design elements, the hospital includes the Friends of University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics Positive Image Center on the second floor. The center, which focuses solely on kids, is the only one of its kind in the nation.

At the center, the hospital’s young patients can use wigs and makeup to ease anxiety related to appearance-altering illnesses or procedures. Through a variety of positive elements, the Positive Image Center supports each child in a way that deals with specific needs.

“It’s always rewarding to know that what we’re providing will be great for children,” said Michael Morrall, a manager in the Madison office of J.F. Ahern Co., which also contributed to the project. “The city certainly had a need for it.”

The hospital’s design, created by HDR Architecture Inc., also incorporates top-of-the-line options for parents.

The fourth floor is designed especially for families with children who might be hospitalized for extended periods of time. Special amenities such as parent sleep rooms, two family lounges and an exercise room enhance the comfort level for parents who are dealing with a variety of troubling illnesses and conditions.

The family feel continues on the fifth floor. General inpatient rooms are more than double the size of those in the old hospital and provide patients and their families with desks, phones, Internet access, TV/DVD units and private bathrooms and sleeping accommodations for parents.

Though some of the hospital’s more complicated design elements were beyond the scope of normal hospital construction — such as a lead-lined room, which is one of five in the nation, used for advanced treatment of a rare form of pediatric cancer — the result was more than worth it, Yehle said.

— Caley Meals