Nemours Children’s Hospital turned to Facebook when officials wanted help in deciding how to allocate a $500,000 grant from the Edyth Bush Charitable Foundation.
“The response was incredible,” said Josh Wilson, a spokesman for the Orlando hospital. “We had organizations from across the state of Florida re-post the specially designed poll on their Facebook walls. The organizations ranged from the Epilepsy Foundation of Florida to the Attorney General of Florida. By the time the two-week voting period had concluded, 730 people had cast votes and the number of people who ‘liked’ the Nemours Facebook page increased 33 percent.”
In addition to the specially-designed Facebook poll, they also placed traditional ballot boxes at their three clinics in Central Florida.
“This allowed patient families without internet access to vote while they were visiting the clinic,” Wilson said.
This was not the first time Nemours has asked the public for their input on a hospital project.
“Nemours Children’s Hospital will be a hospital built for families by families,” Wilson said. “Central Florida families have met with our architect and designers to help shape the physical structure of the hospital and have also interviewed job candidates. When Nemours was fortunate enough to receive this generous grant from the Edyth Bush Charitable Foundation, we wanted the local families to help us decide the best way to utilize the funds.”
Voters could choose between three projects which could have been expanded with the grant:
- KidsTRACK Care Coordination, which will provide care coordination for families needing help setting up doctors’ appointments, talking to insurance agencies, or providing training on proper use of medication as children transition from the hospital to home. TRACK stands for Teaching, Research, Advocacy, Community and Knowledge.
- Hospital Healing Gardens. “Our Discovery Garden will create an enriching experience for patient families with an acre of interactive outdoor areas devoted to the five senses - sight, hearing, taste, smell and touch. Evidence shows exposure to nature plays a vital role in the recovery process,” Wilson said.
- Soothing Sanctuary, a new area at the Emergency Department, which will make the visit a little easier and calming. While waiting for test results, children can relax in one of the “soothing sanctuary” play areas or enjoy interactive educational games, videos and activities. A child-life specialist will be on hand to talk to parents and children, using technology that will help explain information that can often be difficult to understand.
Although KidsTRACK was the winner, Wilson said all three programs will be a part of Nemours Children’s Hospital when it opens in Lake Nona Medical City in the fall of 2012.
Marina Molito, who sits on the Nemours Family Advisory Council, said it can be a challenge to keep track of doctors’ appointments and medications for her 12-year-old daughter, who was born with Spina Bifida. “Nemours has always taken our recommendations into account. It’s impressive that they put this decision in the hands of those who know best, the families.”
The Family Advisory Council is regularly consulted on decisions about programs and services, Wilson said, and hospital officials believe social media, such as Facebook or Twitter, is an incredible tool to interact with patient families and the general public.
“Nemours sees parents as just as important to a child’s care as any other member of their medical team so it is natural that we would use social media in the future to get families’ ideas and feedback on a variety of plans and programs,” Wilson said.
Nemours was founded in 1936 by Alfred I. duPont under the terms of his will. The Alfred I. duPont Institute, a pediatric orthopedic hospital in Wilmington, Del., opened in 1940. It has grown to be one of the nation’s largest integrated pediatric health systems, providing hospital and clinical care as well as education in the Delaware Valley and in Florida.
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