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A hospital can be a scary place for children facing serious illness. Medical equipment and sterile surroundings hardly make for a comforting atmosphere. Step into Nino Jesus University Hospital in Madrid, Spain, and it’s a much different story. Colorful butterflies and birds cover the ceilings of the pediatric cancer treatment center while fish and ducks enjoy a pond brightening a hallway wall.
The beautiful murals are the result of a partnership between HP and Fundación Juegaterapia, a nonprofit that transforms the experience of young hospital patients. Taking advantage of HP’s graphic printing technology, they brightened up a scary place with specially designed illustrations.
This wasn’t the first such makeover for HP. The company has partnered with other hospitals in Europe and the U.S. to create these child-friendly environments. At Barcelona’s Sant Joan de Deu Hospital, HP turned the diagnostic and MRI area into a magical space odyssey. The massive MRI machine looks like a rocket, and young patients are treated like astronauts from the moment they arrive. This fantasy experience distracts and calms the children. As a result, sedation rates have been cut by 30 percent.
The graphic designs are made with latex ink developed at HP’s R&D lab in Barcelona. The prints produced from the inks are odorless and release very low levels of volatile organic compounds, making them safe for hospital environments. The printing technology allows for printing designs on a variety of substrates including walls, floors, canvases and blinds.
Best of all, the transformed environments promote better health. The hospitals in Spain report that they’ve seen improved medical results with the makeovers. For more information, visit www.garage.ext.hp.com.
