Joe DiMaggio Children's Hospital Takes The 'Power Of Play' To New Levels With GetWellNetwork

Hospital implements interactive patient care solution to increase patient and family engagement and assist the healing process

GetWellNetwork, Inc., provider of the industry's leading interactive patient care (IPC) solution, announced recently that Memorial Healthcare System's Joe DiMaggio Children's Hospital, Hollywood, Fla., has implemented GetWell Town throughout its 204-bed facility. The solution provides access to educational programs, television, movies, video games and the Internet to each room of the newly constructed freestanding facility that opened in July 2011.

"Our mission is to provide top quality patient- and family-centered care. Through the GetWellNetwork solution, we provide the educational content our young patients need to help them better manage their condition and a variety of entertainment options to help make the hospital stay more pleasant," said Nina Beauchesne, FACHE, administrator, Joe DiMaggio Children's Hospital. "From the content to the personalized customization, the GetWellNetwork solution plays an important role in the healing process at Joe DiMaggio Children's Hospital and supports our focus on the ‘Power of Play.'"

GetWell Town offers young patients at Joe DiMaggio Children's Hospital exclusive KidsHealth content with more than 180 videos of specific conditions and medical procedures - all in child-friendly language. Topics range from diabetes to tests and procedures and post-procedural care. Additionally, patients can use the system to:

• Obtain additional information on the hospital including visiting hours, staff profiles and hospital programming.
• Access the Internet, email, instant messaging and communication resources to keep in touch with friends and family.
• Access music and games, as well as online game sites, including the ability to connect to popular gaming consoles.
• View some of the newest family-friendly on-demand Hollywood movies.

Designed with parents in mind, too, the system also provides a "Parents Button" providing access to a comprehensive guide to hospital policies and procedures, and parental controls which allow them to restrict any access if needed.

"One of our main goals is to help children's hospitals actively engage pediatric patients and their families in the care process, and we're proud to be part of Joe DiMaggio Children's Hospital's mission to provide extraordinary patient and family-centered care," said Michael O'Neil, founder and CEO of GetWellNetwork. "We are working alongside more and more leading children's hospitals to not only entertain, but to help educate and engage their young patients and families through GetWell Town, which is critical in the healing process and allows kids to ‘just be kids' while in the hospital."

Designed around the "Power of Play," Joe DiMaggio Children's Hospital features floors designed in sports, arts, games and dreams motifs. Throughout the hospital there are rooms for families to hang out together, play areas, a room just for teens, and large, high tech, hospital rooms that even have a bed for parents.

SOURCE: GetWellNetwork, Inc.