City Living Offers Access to Healthcare, Stress to the Brain
Most healthcare facilities realize the importance of helping reduce stress for patients and visitors. But it may be even more critical if your facility is located in an urban area. This article in Psychology Today reports that city living stresses the brain. “Although city dwellers, on average, are wealthier and have better access to healthcare and other services, there are some downsides to urban living…New research published a few weeks ago in the journal Nature shows that the brains of city and country folk respond differently to stress,” the article states.
Large hospitals are almost like small cities themselves — with a community of staff, physicians, patients and visitors who spend a great deal of time within the campus boundaries. Nemours Children’s Hospital Orlando‘s thoughtfully created art program provides several opportunities to bring nature indoors and engage people in stress-reducing activities such as gardening, yoga and art-making.
Some simple ways to reduce the stress of city living in the hospital environment include:
- Encouraging outdoor dining and walking
- Providing seating near windows with nature views
- Adding rooftop gardens
- Creating nature-inspired art programs
- Providing access to sunshine