"Every parent of a critically ill child wants and needs to be there for their baby/child. We also need the parents as an integral part of the team caring for their children. If they are to be effective for their children, parents need a comfortable space in the PICU where they can wait, where they can take some alone time, and where they can take the comfort that only other parents in similar circumstances can provide. We have that space, the newly renovated PICU Parent Lounge, because of Drew Stanton and the High 5ive Foundation. The Sparrow Children’s Center, our community, and, most importantly, the parents of our patients are deeply grateful."
Stephen R. Guertin, MD
PICU, Sparrow Children’s Center
High 5ive funded a renovated space at Sparrow for parents to offer comfort and support to their child in ways nobody else can on the care team. Parents typically stay at the hospital with their children in PICU 24/7. Over the years, the lounge has deteriorated. It does not provide the environment we know parents deserve as their critically ill children are cared for in PICU.
Sparrow’s Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) provides major medical, surgical and trauma care for children up to the age of 18 throughout the mid-Michigan region. Sparrow’s multidisciplinary intensive care team includes the regions’ only pediatric intensivists. Pediatric residents provide 24-hour staffing, supported by physician sub-specialists, highly trained nurses certified in pediatric advanced life support, and other specially trained PICU team members.
The state-of-the art PICU provides this multidisciplinary team with specialized equipment designed to detect subtle changes in a child’s condition and instantly alert the staff to these changes. Custom-made cribs designed by the PICU team for our infants allow maximum patient comfort and maximum flexibility for the medical care team.
An admission to PICU can be frightening and stressful for the patient and his or her family. At Sparrow, we do everything possible to alleviate fears throughout a child’s hospitalization. Within the PICU, Sparrow has a Parent Lounge where parents can shower, make a call to loved ones, and, in general, take care of their own personal needs. Whatever the length of stay, it’s important for the child’s wellbeing that parents take good care of themselves. This lounge is close to all the PICU rooms, so families are not far from their children.
The renovation will provide a clean, comfortable, and updated atmosphere for parents to offer comfort and support to their child in ways nobody else can on the care team. Parents typically stay at the hospital with their children in PICU 24/7. Over the years, the lounge has deteriorated. It does not provide the environment we know parents deserve as their critically ill children are cared for in PICU.
Impact
- Updated colors, textures and fabrics
- Comfortable, configurable furniture designed to meet a variety of needs
- A small kitchenette that is both functional and anesthetically pleasing
- An updated private attached bathroom with shower and lockers