RECUPERATING IN STYLE
St. Clair College fashion students design gowns for hospital patients
The splashes of colour, playful pockets, Peter Pan collars and most importantly ties that keep the back of the new patient gowns comfortably closed were warmly welcomed by Windsor Regional Hospital officials Tuesday.
A class of 20 St. Clair College fashion design students created and donated the 11 new MRI patient gowns as part of a year-end school project.
Elaine Chatwood, co-ordinator of the college’s fashion design program, said the idea came from a video sent to her by a fellow instructor and MRI patient of a similar project in England.
“Every year, we do a project to give back to the community, so this year we met with the hospital to see what was needed for hospital gowns,” Chatwood said.
“They (in the video) interviewed younger patients who didn’t like putting on a regular hospital gown. At that age, you have a lot of individuality. In order to be comfortable, they loved the idea of putting on something a little different and a little bit more fun and colourful.”
The four-year-old fashion design program is building an admirable record of charitable commitment.
In the past three years, students have made super hero capes for sick children, pyjamas for a local men’s shelter and 100 dresses that were shipped to Africa.
Montreal’s TELIO Fabrics, which funds a program scholarship at the college, donated two bolts of fabric and students and college instructors donated the rest for the gowns.
The students and two instructors worked in teams of two on the project.
“We’re looking forward to doing children’s gowns next year,” Chatwood said. “It’ll be a larger part of the curriculum next year, so we can produce more. It is a great project because the students learn how to work on product development in teams. They learn how to work with a client. “It’s a great project for real life.” Ralph Nicoletti, the hospital’s vice-president of medicine, diagnostic imaging, emergency and mental health services, said the idea of cheery, individualistic gowns will have a positive psychological impact on anxious patients
“When people come, they’re obviously having some struggles,” Nicoletti said. “Their mind is on their struggle and we’re trying to take their mind off of having the procedure and give them a distraction.
“These gowns are much more colourful. They have some design to them.
“We want to add a little life and make it a more comfortable experience for the person that’s going to be wearing them.”
The project offered some new challenges for the students. Ultimately the function of the gown created some restrictions around the materials that could be used.
“I met with the technicians in the MRI department first,” Chatwood said. “There couldn’t be any metal (or magnetic materials). They told me it has to do up in the back.
“It had to provide easy access to the patient for technicians, so the gowns have wider sleeves that are no longer than a three-quarter length. Natural fabrics had to be used to keep patients cooler because MRIs can get warm.”
The gowns are made from 100 per cent cotton.
Nicoletti was so impressed at the unveiling he hopes the hospital can continue the relationship with the students.
“We do about 35 to 40 patients a day in the MRI at each site,” Nicoletti said. “There are 70 to 80 gowns a day we could use.
“They need the experience, we need the help. It’s a marriage made in heaven.”