Artist Dean Lauze and team (wife Christina and son Josh) jumped at the chance to get involved with helping to design a cartoon-style, underwater submarine, themed mural for the pediatric space in the Emergency Department at Chilliwack General Hospital. Lauze was inspired by his earlier work at Abbotsford Regional Hospital where his team created a yellow submarine, ultimately influenced by The Beatles, Yellow Submarine-themed space.
In what could be an otherwise daunting experience for children, who respond differently to environmental stressors, the murals bring forward the therapeutic power of art in healthcare settings.
The Mount Cheam Lions Charitable Society funded this project through an estate gift from Lion Bonnie Weigle.
According to Tracy Stoneson—manager of Clinical Operations—Chilliwack ED, ICU, RT: “Visiting the emergency department can be a terrifying experience for a child. The addition of two pediatric-friendly murals has allowed us to have warm, interactive, and inviting spaces for children to receive care. Creating pediatric-friendly spaces in our emergency department would not have been possible without the support of the Lions Club and the Fraser Valley Health Care Foundation”.
The murals are said to bring a smile to everyone during tough visits to the Emergency Department. For that reason, design strategies help support the well-being of patients, families and staff to provide more supportive care environments.
Children use distraction to divert attention from stress-provoking stimuli and the murals, in the ER, definitely encourage the mind to be curious creatures under the sea.