The Significance of a Healing Hospitall
The Significance of a Healing Hospital
Grand Canyon University
Spirituality in Health Care
HLT-310V
March 24, 2013
The Significance of a Healing Hospital
In today’s healthcare society it is vitally important that healthcare professionals not only address the physical needs of the patient, but the emotional and spiritual needs of the patient as well. In the New Testament the Bible speaks of how Jesus healed the sick. Luke 4: 40 states that “When the sun was setting, the people brought to Jesus all who had various kinds of sickness, and laying his hands on each one, he healed them (NIV)”. Healthcare providers must have the compassion that Jesus showed to the sick while he was here on earth. This paper will be discussing the different elements of a healing hospital and its association with spirituality, the challenges of creating a healing hospital environment, and a supportive passage from the Bible that promotes the concept of a healing hospital.
There are few healing hospitals here in the United States. The author of this paper has been fortunate enough to visit a healing hospital in her home state of Arizona. The healing hospital that the author is referring to is Mercy Gilbert Medical Center in Gilbert. The author of this paper felt that the ambiance of the hospital was extremely different, as compared to the ambiance of many hospitals that she has visited. The ambiance of Mercy Gilbert is peaceful. Mercy Gilbert, as a healing hospital, embraces three main elements: “a healing physical environment, the integration of work design and technology, and a culture of Radical Loving Care” (Mercy Gilbert Medical Center [MGMC], 2013, para. 4). Mercy Gilbert’s association with spirituality is integrated in all three major components. The “healing physical environment” (MGMC, 2013, the healing hospital section, no. 1) encompasses not only the patient, but their families as well. “We have learned that by creating a loving, compassionate, and aesthetically
Grand Canyon University
Spirituality in Health Care
HLT-310V
March 24, 2013
The Significance of a Healing Hospital
In today’s healthcare society it is vitally important that healthcare professionals not only address the physical needs of the patient, but the emotional and spiritual needs of the patient as well. In the New Testament the Bible speaks of how Jesus healed the sick. Luke 4: 40 states that “When the sun was setting, the people brought to Jesus all who had various kinds of sickness, and laying his hands on each one, he healed them (NIV)”. Healthcare providers must have the compassion that Jesus showed to the sick while he was here on earth. This paper will be discussing the different elements of a healing hospital and its association with spirituality, the challenges of creating a healing hospital environment, and a supportive passage from the Bible that promotes the concept of a healing hospital.
There are few healing hospitals here in the United States. The author of this paper has been fortunate enough to visit a healing hospital in her home state of Arizona. The healing hospital that the author is referring to is Mercy Gilbert Medical Center in Gilbert. The author of this paper felt that the ambiance of the hospital was extremely different, as compared to the ambiance of many hospitals that she has visited. The ambiance of Mercy Gilbert is peaceful. Mercy Gilbert, as a healing hospital, embraces three main elements: “a healing physical environment, the integration of work design and technology, and a culture of Radical Loving Care” (Mercy Gilbert Medical Center [MGMC], 2013, para. 4). Mercy Gilbert’s association with spirituality is integrated in all three major components. The “healing physical environment” (MGMC, 2013, the healing hospital section, no. 1) encompasses not only the patient, but their families as well. “We have learned that by creating a loving, compassionate, and aesthetically
References: Mercy Gilbert Medical Center. (2013). Golden thread of compassionate care. Dignity Health. Retrieved from http://www.mercygilbert.org/Who_We_Are/Golden_Thread/index.htm Neigher, W. D., & Hakim, S. M. (2012, January). Creating a sustainable “healing culture” throughout a healthcare system: Using community psychology principles as a guide. Global Journal of Community Psychology Practice, 2(3), 1-25. Retrieved from http://www.gjcpp.org/pdfs/WBN-SH-final.pdf Severtsen, B. (n. d.). Healing gardens. Retrieved from http://depts.washington.edu/open2100/pdf/2_OpenSpaceTypes/Open_Space_Types/healing_gardens.pdf Zborowsky, T., & Kreitzer, M. J. (2008, March). Creating optimal healing environments in a health care setting. Minnesota Medicine. Retrieved from http://www.minnesotamedicine.com/CurrentIssue/ClinicalZborowskyMarch2008/tabid/2489/Default.aspx