With the United States’ military actively engaged in two wars over the
last decade the need for more and better healthcare for veterans has
become a priority. The Department of Veterans Affairs is renovating many
of its facilities around the country and is keeping abreast of the
latest advances in healthcare, including the patient-centered and
evidence-based design movements. The VA is an active member of
Planetree, the national non-profit organization that promotes design
guidelines and process improvements that help to make facilities more
patient-friendly.
Looking to include a biophilic element that both soothed and empowered patients, administrators at VA Long Beach Healthcare
contacted The Sky Factory about the new Digital Cinema illusions of
nature products. The Digital Cinema Displays – eScape™ and SkyV™ – not
only provide hours of rapturous sky views to relax mind and body, but
also allow for user interaction in choosing scenes to play during their
procedures.
VA Long Beach took a powerful positive step to meet their
patient-centered goals by installing a Sky Factory SkyV Digital Cinema
Display over the PET/CT scanner. Now, patients undergoing the half-hour
procedure are transported to a light-filled sky with moving clouds,
birds, and overhanging flowers and foliage. This kind of positive
distraction is a documented benefit of views to nature. And, the more
realistic the view, the more profound is the effect.