Can Griffin Hospital’s approach to patient care be used as a model in the health care debate in Washington?
U.S. Sen. Joseph Lieberman thinks so.
The senator got a first hand look Tuesday morning at how Griffin’s patient-centered Planetree healthcare model works as he toured the hospital with an entourage, led by hospital CEO Patrick Charmel and his staff.
“I’m impressed,” Lieberman said. “This is obviously a very warm, humane environment for those who come for health care and those who deliver it.”
The senator walked the hospital’s lounge-style, carpeted hallways — decorated with artwork and sculptures — passing solo musicians, comfortable seating areas with oversized sofas, and waiting rooms equipped with laptop computers.
The Planetree model, adopted by Griffin in 1998, designs hospital rooms and settings that foster health and healing for the patient and family. It also empowers patients and their families to research information about their ailments.
Charmel told Lieberman on the tour that the Planetree model began in California and has expanded in the United States, Europe and Japan.
Lieberman said he would take the principals of the Planetree back to Washington as federal lawmakers debate a new health care bill.
“It’s a helpful model and a real opportunity to reduce the cost of health care and improve the quality of care,” Lieberman said.
On the tour Lieberman got a look at the hospital’s emergency room center, which is being expanded. Lieberman, US. Rep. Rosa DeLauro, and U.S. Sen. Chris Dodd helped secure more than $600,000 in federal grants for the project.
The renovation will expand the emergency center from 8,775 to 11,650 square feet, and increase the number of beds from 16 to 20. Plans also call for three psychiatry treatment rooms.
The emergency center will mirror the hospital’s architecture, with plenty of windows and spaces where families and patients can interact.
Hospital Vice President William C. Powanda said Lieberman has asked for another $335, 645 in federal grants to complete the project.
The center should be finished by December.
