Sentara Williamsburg achieves notable designation.
Earlier this year, Sentara Williamsburg Regional Medical Center (SWRMC) became the first medical facility in Virginia to be certified as sensory-inclusive. The certification was provided by the Alabama-based KultureCity, the nation’s leading nonprofit on sensory accessibility that encourages hospitals to welcome and care for those with sensory needs.
One in four individuals have sensory needs, a group that includes people with autism, PTSD, anxiety, stroke, early onset dementia, and more. Public places, where lights, crowds, and smells can be overwhelming, become a challenge for those with sensory needs. Hospitals are prime examples of places that can trigger sensory overload.
Now, signage at SWRMC announces that the hospital is sensory-inclusive. Resources include two sensory rooms designed to provide a quiet, secure, and soothing environment. In addition, there are sensory bags with noise-canceling headphones, fidget toys, and a feeling thermometer that patients can borrow. Outside, two bench swings offer an additional haven.
KultureCity’s annual certification process requires half of the hospital’s 405 staff members to complete training to recognize and respond to patients experiencing sensory overload by deploying a “mobile sensory station.” Designed to calm patients, the station includes a large, liquid-filled cylinder swirling with plastic fish and bubbles and illuminated by multicolored lights.
According to Amy Lassiter, the hospital’s patient care services manager, who heads the program, the community and hospital staff have been very supportive. The initiative “creates an acceptance for all,” adds chief nursing officer Donna Wilmoth. “Everyone’s welcome. And I think that’s incredibly important.”
This article originally appeared in the October 2024 issue.
