News
Emerson Hospital Center for Specialty Care artwork
eases visits for area pediatric patients
(CONCORD, Mass., March 3, 2008)--Dr. Michael de Moor is all heart when it comes to his young patients. Dr. de Moor, chief of pediatric cardiology at MassGeneral Hospital for Children (MGHfC), and his wife, Tica de Moor, a speech therapist by training and a current graduate student in interior design and architecture, know the importance of color and vibrancy in the artwork that lines the walls of a medical environment. That’s why, when Dr. de Moor signed on to see pediatric patients at Emerson Hospital’s new Center for Specialty Care on Baker Avenue in Concord, Mass., he and his wife knew they’d found a new home for selected pieces of the MGHfC pediatric cardiology art collection, which needed to be relocated while MassGeneral for Children undergoes major renovations.
“The new building at MGH will take several years, and we are absolutely delighted that these pieces will continue to do their ‘work’ in the interim,” said Tica de Moor. “The Center for Specialty Care is truly lovely. There is so much natural light. We know that Emerson will take good care of the artwork, and we hope that it enriches the environment for everyone.”
When Dr. de Moor was initially recruited to MGHfC years ago, his wife felt that the pediatric cardiology department needed to be infused with color. She and Dr. Sally Zetter, a pediatric psychiatrist, decided to tackle the project together with help from the MGH Ladies Visiting Committee, one of the oldest hospital auxiliaries in the United States, which provided funding to acquire the artwork. The MGH Ladies Visiting Committee’s (LVC) volunteer members oversee the LVC retail shops, which include the MGH General Store and Flower Shop, the MGH General Hair Care Center, the Images Boutique, and the General Store at the hospital’s Yawkey Center. Proceeds from their work support a variety of much-needed programs and services.
Attuned to the psychological effects of art and the measurable effects on illness, de Moor and Dr. Zetter approached the selection of artwork strategically. “My feeling is that when an environment is pleasing, it not only helps patients to relax, but it stimulates communication,” said de Moor. “The artwork chosen was geared toward that goal-- not just communication between parent and child, but also to facilitate communication between physician and child.”
Dr. Zetter and Tica de Moor strove to occupy pediatric patients’ time, allay their fears, and make them laugh. In keeping with their goals, much of the selected artwork in the collection was created by children. “We ran workshops with children and told them what our intent was, and they were all thrilled to know that other kids would benefit from their creations,” said de Moor. “They could relate to the idea that a doctor’s visit is not always easy and that sick children would like to have something to look at that would take their minds off the reason for their visit.”
Empowering children to help their peers by inviting them to help meet the needs of a very special patient population was an important part of the process. “Children need to know that they can make a positive difference in the lives of other children,” she said. “All children can relate to art by children. It stimulates their creativity and imagination. Our hope was that it would encourage youngsters to believe in the power of reaching out.” One piece of artwork now on display on the third floor of the Center for Specialty Care is a quilt conceived by children. “Children made up their own fairytales by combining more than one well-known tale, and they cut out the fabric to create their stories,” she said. “Volunteers and I appliquéd the pieces onto the quilt squares, and then assembled and finished the quilt.” The quilt was one of 20; the rest were donated to an orphanage in Haiti.
When selecting the artwork, de Moor factored in a patient’s age. “An important consideration is the teenager,” she said. “This group of patients often feels awkward in a pediatric facility because they are closer to being adults, and they want to be viewed that way. However, they are usually seen by pediatricians. How do they feel? To find art that appeals to all these different groups, and gives everyone some small sense of belonging, is challenging.”
Finally, de Moor was tasked with selecting artwork that appeals to both pediatric patients and the adults who care for them. “Many pediatric spaces are decorated with art that does not interest adults, and this was another goal for us,” she said. “The artwork needed to appeal not only to children, but also to those who spend their working hours in this environment. After all, patients come for a short visit, but the staff spend a lot of time in these spaces.”
So, has the artwork transformed the space from scary to soothing? “We did not know whether we achieved our goal, but seven years later, and with multiple spaces used to display the artwork, we have had so much positive feedback that we know there is more work to be done in this field,” she said.
Emerson Hospital’s new specialty center, located at 54 Baker Avenue Extension in Concord, brings together many of Emerson’s talented specialists in one convenient location. The first floor houses the diabetes center, a wound care center, a weight management center and PET/CT scanning. The new Bone and Joint Center is located on the second floor, and MassGeneral Hospital for Children specialists are seeing patients on the third floor. Physician practices based at the Center include Emerson Surgical Associates, Orthopedic Affiliates, Inc., North Bridge Podiatry Group, Sports Medicine North, David Margolius, MD, and others.