Seattle Children's Hospital Opens a New Beach-Themed Outdoor Play Park
August 30, 2006
Today, Seattle Children’s Hospital celebrated “fun in the sun” with a new outdoor play park for patients and families. Vibrant colors accentuate the park’s beach theme that includes a water feature with turtle sculpture, a giant sandcastle, a bubble machine, and a maze of wheelchair-accessible toys.
The park was funded and designed by the John L. Scott Foundation and built by Dillon Works of Mukilteo, Wash.
Designed to resemble a beach, the park is intended to be “a fanciful environment in which children can take a ‘vacation’ from their illness — even if only for a few minutes,” said J. Lennox Scott, chairman and CEO of John L. Scott Real Estate.
Scott added that the park was designed to accommodate the special health care needs of patients. Unique features range from a boat with wheelchair access to a freestanding castle with space for IV poles.
The child-friendly construction materials can be easily wiped down to prevent the spread of germs and bacteria. “We worked closely with Children’s Hospital and Dillon Works to ensure that the health needs of the children were met while still creating as exciting and engaging an environment as possible,” said Scott.
“Families and patients tell us that a healing environment needs to include a sense of normalcy and connectedness to the everyday world. For most kids and teens, that means outdoor play,” said Lynel Westby, director of patient and family support services at Children’s Hospital.
Westby thanked donors and explained the park’s importance to the hospital. “The fun activities will help our patients cope with the stress of hospitalization and allow them the opportunity that all children need for positive expression and playful interaction with other kids.”
In addition to the John L. Scott Foundation contribution, the park was made possible by funds and in-kind donations from: the Friends of John L. Scott Guild, the Paccar Foundation, Rite Aid, Dillon Works, Sellen Construction, and Basketball Hoops Unlimited.
About Children's Hospital and Regional Medical Center
Consistently ranked as one of the best children's hospitals in the country by U.S. News & World Report, Children's serves as the pediatric referral center for Washington, Alaska, Montana and Idaho. Children's has been delivering superior patient care for 100 years, including advancing new discoveries and treatments in pediatric research, and serving as a primary teaching, clinical and research site for the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Washington School of Medicine. For more information about Children's, visit www.seattlechildrens.org.
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