Students create interactive mural in pediatric intensive care unit
Students who helped create the mural include Paige Benson, Bella Bruijn, Claire Cannon, Delaney Cepeda, Lauren Hartwell, Caroline Hitpas, Gabriella Jones, Karidyn Mckenzie, Caroline Miller, Abbey Moree, Avalee Moree, Arya Orlik, Narayani Patel, Jean Pearson, Linnie Grace Stacey and Molly Wood.
By Casandra Andrews
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What was once a plain hallway in the pediatric intensive care unit at USA Health Children’s & Women’s Hospital has been transformed into an interactive under-the-sea scene designed to create a more comforting and engaging environment for young patients.
The project started with Fairhope High School junior Jean Pearson, a member of the club Create for Kids that sends cards and care packages to hospitalized children. Earlier this spring Jean met with hospital CEO Deborah Browning, MSN, RN, seeking more ways that the group could contribute to the hospital and its mission.
After a tour with Beth Abston, a member of the Mapp Child and Family Life Program staff, an idea was born. Abston showed the teen a long hallway directly across from patient rooms and talked about a way to tie the space into the nautical theme found in other areas of the hospital. The young artist then enlisted members of the Create for Kids club and her art teacher “to bring something really cool to life,” she told FOX10 News.
When her principal and other teachers heard what she had in mind, they quickly approved the plan. Within just a few weeks, the colorful scene, complete with a pirate ship, tropical fish and buried treasure, took shape.
First, Pearson used her iPad to draw the image. Once approved, she visited the hospital on a Saturday before her prom to trace the design that measures some 8 feet tall and more than 20 feet long. Paint and supplies were ordered and within a few days, small groups of students and a faculty chaperone went about bringing the idea to life one brushstroke at a time.
During the process, which took a little more than a week, parents and caregivers often paused in the stretch of hallway to see the work in progress, praising the teens and teachers for their creativity and talent. A news crew from FOX10 also visited to film a story about the interactive mural.
Students who helped create the mural include Paige Benson, Bella Bruijn, Claire Cannon, Delaney Cepeda, Lauren Hartwell, Caroline Hitpas, Gabriella Jones, Karidyn Mckenzie, Caroline Miller, Abbey Moree, Avalee Moree, Arya Orlik, Narayani Patel, Pearson, Linnie Grace Stacey, and Molly Wood.
“In a place where families sometimes face the most stressful moments of their lives, creating an environment that feels less clinical and more comforting truly matters,” said Browning. “I see this mural as more than simply art on a wall. We hope it is also a beautiful reminder to our patients and their caregivers that they are supported and surrounded by care, creativity, and hope.”
