ST. LOUIS - Even when kids aren’t feeling great, they often still have energy to burn. So when kids are in the hospital, stuck in one room, they can go a little stir crazy. Thanks to generous donors, Mercy Kids now has a new underwater-themed interactive space giving kids a chance to safely get out of their rooms.
Playing off the colorful fish tank donated years ago by Laura Richter and Paul Schamel and loved by kids and adults alike, the new space makes it feel like you’re under the sea. A wall with silhouettes of a sunken ship, fish and a scuba driver can be seen through the fish tank. When kids go into the room, there’s a hammerhead shark looking down from above.
While most electronic touch-screen games keep kids planted in bed or seated, the new play area gets them up and moving. Patients will have their choice of games to play using their feet with a giant touchscreen-like program.
“The newly renovated room allows for interactive play while limiting high-touch surfaces that spread germs,” said Jenny Schwartz, RN, executive director of nursing for Mercy Children’s Hospital. “It can easily be disinfected between patients.”
The renovation was made possible by donations from:
- Hugh Sprague, in memory of Matthew Sprague
- St. Louis Blues, Blues for Kids Grant
- Tri Sigma Sorority Grant
- McCarthy Building Companies, Inc.
- Guarantee Electrical Company
