http://www.local6.com/news/14151252/detail.html
The Walt Disney Co., known for theme parks and cartoon characters, is stepping into the decidedly less fun business of health care with a $10 million donation announced Wednesday to create the first hospital to bear the Disney name. "It's all about creating a place where children have the opportunity to not be so overwhelmed in an environment they have never been in before and to bring them the opportunity to play and have joy and to imagine and dream," said Meg Crofton, president of Walt Disney World. Construction on the Disney-themed seven-story, 200-bed building began in earnest Wednesday. The $35 million facility is expected to be complete in 2010. It will revamp and replace the current Florida Children's Hospital on the site <table class="storyAd" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td class="storyAdObj">
</td></tr></tbody></table> Officials have not yet decided on the actual hospital name, other than it will include the famed brand. Disney "imagineers" are still working to "develop the patient experience," said Lars Houmann, president of the nearby 1,700-bed Florida Hospital, which runs Florida Children's Hospital. Most patients don't look forward to going to a hospital, he said. He said if you ask most patients, "Did you laugh? Did anything happen that speeded up the healing process? Most of the time the answer will be, 'No."' He hopes the Disney hospital will change that. "The environment, arrival points, lobbies, waiting rooms, will all have experiential design to them. You'll be in a setting that just allows everyone to engage in getting better, including the family," he said.
The Walt Disney Co., known for theme parks and cartoon characters, is stepping into the decidedly less fun business of health care with a $10 million donation announced Wednesday to create the first hospital to bear the Disney name. "It's all about creating a place where children have the opportunity to not be so overwhelmed in an environment they have never been in before and to bring them the opportunity to play and have joy and to imagine and dream," said Meg Crofton, president of Walt Disney World. Construction on the Disney-themed seven-story, 200-bed building began in earnest Wednesday. The $35 million facility is expected to be complete in 2010. It will revamp and replace the current Florida Children's Hospital on the site <table class="storyAd" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td class="storyAdObj">
</td></tr></tbody></table> Officials have not yet decided on the actual hospital name, other than it will include the famed brand. Disney "imagineers" are still working to "develop the patient experience," said Lars Houmann, president of the nearby 1,700-bed Florida Hospital, which runs Florida Children's Hospital. Most patients don't look forward to going to a hospital, he said. He said if you ask most patients, "Did you laugh? Did anything happen that speeded up the healing process? Most of the time the answer will be, 'No."' He hopes the Disney hospital will change that. "The environment, arrival points, lobbies, waiting rooms, will all have experiential design to them. You'll be in a setting that just allows everyone to engage in getting better, including the family," he said.