Chicago hospital gets artsy,
The scenic views of Chicago’s famous skyline available from the new 14-story tower that now houses Rush University Medical Center just weren’t artsy enough for hospital officials.
Despite the sightlines, Rush officials needed something to help spruce up the hallways of the $654 million building that opened this month to replace aging facilities. About a year and a half ago, they brought in H. Marion Art Consulting Services for the Rush Transformation Project. H. Marion surveyed the 841,000-square-foot hospital and brought in framed art, about 1,400 pieces. But there’s no art inside the patient rooms, Jan Marion, president of H. Marion told Outliers. They didn’t want to compete with the scenic views, he says.
The art had to reflect the hospital’s branding, Marion says. For Rush, that is that it’s ingrained in Chicago, as the hospital name has been around for almost as long as the city. For H. Marion to do that, its art had to follow three tenets. It had to reflect Chicago as a world-class city and embrace its diversity. Much of the art—posters, limited edition prints, even prints done on bamboo—was crafted by local artists.
Secondly, the art had to act as an interior finish, to blend with the building’s contemporary design. While not one of the pieces is controversial or edgy, the art carries a modern feel, Marion says. Yes, patients will see the occasional lush landscape littered with flowers, a hospital staple. But Marion says his firm wanted to embrace the new building’s modern architecture. Finally, the art had to be therapeutic. Friendly colors and images that help promote healing have long been popular with hospitals.
Medical expenses go social
People search the Web for health information so it shouldn’t be a surprise that they are using social media to raise money for medical expenses.
Youcaring.com is one site that provides an online platform for people to raise funds for medical expenses, as well as tuition, adoptions and faith-related mission trips. Within two months of its launch, the site recorded 265 registered users, with medical-expenses fundraising being the most successful category, said Luke Miner, a Youcaring.com co-founder.
Unlike Kickstarter, the fundraising site used by entrepreneurs to fund creative projects, Youcaring.com does not take a commission from the donations, Miner said. He cited one medical-expenses fundraiser that generated more than $16,000 to treat one man’s bone cancer.
Other sites include Fundbunch, Gofundme and Giveforward, a 3year-old site that helps people raise money for expenses such as chemotherapy and organ transplants.
A controversy is born
Publicity was inevitable when two of the biggest names in popular music, Jay-z and Beyonce, entered Lenox Hill Hospital this month for their blessed event.
But officials at the New York City hospital found themselves explaining aspects of the hip-hop royalty’s stay that they might not have anticipated: whether the security surrounding their care was overzealous and disrespectful to other families who also happened to be having babies at the same time.
Several families complained to the New York Times that security officials blocked access to certain areas, erected partitions in the neonatal waiting area and even papered over some security cameras. An Associated Press story quoted Lenox Hill officials as saying that no patients had complained about any security and that the hospital—not the couple’s private bodyguards—remained in control of security the whole time.
A statement from the hospital also noted that, contrary to rumors that the couple had paid more than $1 million to rent a floor for the birth, the couple was in an executive suite and was “billed the standard rate for those accommodations. Our executive suites are available for any patient, including the food service and amenities provided to the Carter family.”
The uncontroversial news was, Blue Ivy Carter was delivered naturally and weighed a healthy 7 pounds. A joint statement described the birth as “the best experience of both of our lives.”
Rapper Jay-z, whose real name is Shawn Carter, even confirmed the birth of his daughter publicly with the release of a new single, “Glory feat. B.I.C.” A nice sentiment, but the song is so sugary it made Outliers glad we didn’t have access to a recording studio when our daughter was born a few years back.