We all know hospitals are all about the waiting game.
But if you walk into Hendrick Medical Center in Abilene and look closely, it may seem more like an art gallery or a museum than a hospital.
"Everyone that comes doesn't want to stay here, but they know it's part of the healing process," said Norm Archibald, Vice-President of Hendrick Medical Center.
That is why there is a way public places like hospitals and airports try to shift your focus -- with a technique called "positive distraction."
And that technique is in full effect at Hendrick, where about 65 paintings are displayed on the walls by well-known Abilene artist, H.C. Zachry, and other artists from the area.
"We tend to get bogged down in our own aches and pains and worries and stress and strain," explained Zachry.
Each area has artwork that is specific to the care patients receive there -- from expectant mothers in labor and delivery to serene scenes in surgery.
The goal behind it all is to give patients and waiting, worried family members a break from the hustle and bustle of the hospital, and research backs that up.
"The subjects, by plan, tend to conjure up memories and recollections that people have," said Zachry. "So it's a pleasant diversion, going back to that term positive distraction that's used nationally in this body of research."
Those studies have shown that the arts -- dancing, music, poetry and painting -- can help patients with shorter hospital stays, needing fewer pain medications and improving their quality of life.
Judy Godfrey has been an art director in museums for more than 30 years and said it has been known for centuries that art can help present and promote calm.
"To have art on the walls, as a visitor or a family member as you're walking down the halls, it gives you visual stimulation and variety," she said. "It's much more interesting than blank walls."
Godfrey also been one of the many people waiting for a loved one to recover at Hendrick, and explains how the paintings provide that much-needed relief.
"For me, it's the nature scenes that allow you to take a big breath and instill a sense of calm," Godfrey explained. "You can feel the relaxation coming over you and it allows you to take a mental break and say, 'Okay, we'll get through this.'"
But if you walk into Hendrick Medical Center in Abilene and look closely, it may seem more like an art gallery or a museum than a hospital.
"Everyone that comes doesn't want to stay here, but they know it's part of the healing process," said Norm Archibald, Vice-President of Hendrick Medical Center.
That is why there is a way public places like hospitals and airports try to shift your focus -- with a technique called "positive distraction."
And that technique is in full effect at Hendrick, where about 65 paintings are displayed on the walls by well-known Abilene artist, H.C. Zachry, and other artists from the area.
"We tend to get bogged down in our own aches and pains and worries and stress and strain," explained Zachry.
Each area has artwork that is specific to the care patients receive there -- from expectant mothers in labor and delivery to serene scenes in surgery.
The goal behind it all is to give patients and waiting, worried family members a break from the hustle and bustle of the hospital, and research backs that up.
"The subjects, by plan, tend to conjure up memories and recollections that people have," said Zachry. "So it's a pleasant diversion, going back to that term positive distraction that's used nationally in this body of research."
Those studies have shown that the arts -- dancing, music, poetry and painting -- can help patients with shorter hospital stays, needing fewer pain medications and improving their quality of life.
Judy Godfrey has been an art director in museums for more than 30 years and said it has been known for centuries that art can help present and promote calm.
"To have art on the walls, as a visitor or a family member as you're walking down the halls, it gives you visual stimulation and variety," she said. "It's much more interesting than blank walls."
Godfrey also been one of the many people waiting for a loved one to recover at Hendrick, and explains how the paintings provide that much-needed relief.
"For me, it's the nature scenes that allow you to take a big breath and instill a sense of calm," Godfrey explained. "You can feel the relaxation coming over you and it allows you to take a mental break and say, 'Okay, we'll get through this.'"
