WILLIAMSBURG, Va. — Sentara Williamsburg Regional Medical Center has become the first certified sensory-inclusive hospital in Virginia, according to KultureCity.
In 2021, Chief Nursing Officer Donna Wilmoth noticed some children and young adults were having trouble coping with the noise and people in the hospital.
“These individuals were being overwhelmed,” said Wilmoth. “It really just sparked the question: What else is out there?”
While researching ways to support these patients, Wilmoth learned about KultureCity, a nonprofit organization focused on sensory accessibility.
“The hospital can be a scary place,” said Amy Lassiter, the patient care services manager for the hospital and head of the sensory-inclusion program. “Our intercom system is loud and there’s a lot of people walking around.”
It can be a stressful experience for those with sensory needs like Katherine Sheppard’s son, Johnny.
“He has ADHD,” said Sheppard, who also works at the hospital. “He gets distracted easily and he’s hypersensitive in certain situations.”
Sheppard said he recently got upset while attending the facility’s Easter egg event when he couldn’t find what he was looking for on a scavenger hunt.
“Johnny is very persistent,” she said. “So once he gets his mind set on something, he gets quite worked up with it.”
A hospital administrator introduced Johnny to the site’s new sensory room to help ease his mind.
“The rooms are dark. They’re able to relax and decompress,” Lassiter said. “It helps their anxiety, reduces their anxiety of being in the hospital.”
Lassiter said the center has two rooms meant to support those with sensory needs which include people with autism, PTSD, anxiety, and more. Patients can even check out a bag full of gadgets to take their minds off of what’s bothering them. They even have a sensory mobile station.
“It’s a distractor for the patient while we’re doing vital signs, while we’re doing tests,” Lassiter said.
Outside, there are two bench swings. Lassiter said many patients are happy to see the sensory rooms in the building. She added other Sentara Health hospitals have reached out about the program.
According to KultureCity, more than 1,800 locations worldwide are certified as sensory-inclusive through the nonprofit. That includes several spots in our area like the Virginia Zoo in Norfolk and the Virginia Aquarium and Marine Science Center in Virginia Beach.