Redesigned Waiting Room Connects Families to Resources
With input from families and community partners, Cincinnati Children’s has created an innovative new waiting room in the Pediatric Primary Care Center (PPCC) to more effectively link families to community resources they need to thrive.
More Than a Doctor Visit
Many families seen in our primary care clinics are affected by social, economic and environmental risks that can have enormous impact on their child’s health and well-being. We wanted to develop a way to help families seamlessly connect with the best community resources to meet their needs.
How could we make the best use of families’ time while they are here for their child’s visit? We created goals with the help of parents and community partners:
- Connect families with leading community interventions to improve child health and help families reach their full potential.
- Ensure families feel valued by addressing their most pressing needs in a safe, welcoming environment.
- Offer fun, educational activities to positively distract kids, so parents can focus on getting support.
What’s New
Opportunities for parent engagement with the community:
- Space for a community resource liaison to help parents connect to resources
- IPads that allow families to apply for housing and benefits, check their application status, and view videos about available community services
- A resource wall for agency brochures and flyers
Activities to engage children while their parents access resources:
- Fun, educational apps on iPads
- An expanded area for kids to play with others and engage with volunteers
- A colorful mural sprinkled with jokes and riddles
Our Redesign Process
With pilot funding from the Center for Clinical and Translational Science and Training (CCTST), students at the Live Well Collaborative helped us strategize what a more welcoming, productive waiting room for families might look like. GBBN Architects, Kolar, Messer and RCF Group designed and constructed the new space. Major League Baseball and the Cincinnati Reds awarded Cincinnati Children’s a 2015 All-Star Game Legacy Grant to bolster donor and hospital support for the project.
To learn more, contact Adrienne Henize at adrienne.henize@cchmc.org or 513-636-0405.