This article originally appeared in our sister publication, Big Picture.
GRAPHIX IN EAST Longmeadow, Massachusetts, partnered with Baystate Children’s Hospital in Springfield, Massachusetts, to install a one-of-a-kind, expansive project that would make children feel less scared and intimidated when receiving treatment at the hospital. How did they do this? The idea came from Jessica Hageman, manager of Child Life & Healing Arts at Baystate Children’s Hospital.
“The situation can be very disorienting to a child, and it’s great to make that ride a little more relaxing and less stressful. And from what we’ve seen, it makes a difference in their outcome.”
Hageman, a certified child life specialist with more than 20 years of experience, wanted to create a special ambulance that would make kids’ unfortunate rides to the hospital as calm and welcoming as possible. So, teaming up with Go Graphix, they got to work and installed child-friendly graphics on the interior and back windows of the ambulance.
“We were excited to be a part of this project because the poor kids are scared stiff and they don’t know what’s going to happen when they get picked up in the ambulance,” says Jim White, owner of Go Graphix. “The situation can be very disorienting to a child, and it’s great to make that ride a little more relaxing and less stressful. And from what we’ve seen, it makes a difference in their outcome.”
It’s a brilliant idea that shows the power of printing and vehicle wrapping. These touches, like the starry night sky on the ceiling of the ambulance or the trees on the back windows, can really help a child feel more at ease during a tense ride.
To install the graphics in the ambulance, Go Graphix used an HP Latex 570 printer onto 3M IJ180CV3 with 3M 8518 Scotchcal overlaminate film. But, as many veteran installers can likely see right off the bat, the ambulance install was quite unique and required many special cuts and designs.
“We had to take really precise measurements throughout and also had to take into consideration the surfaces themselves, because you’ve got a sterile environment where both metals and plastics are involved,” says White. “These aren’t the best for adhesion, so that made it difficult, as well, because your kind of mixing and matching a few things here and there, going over both plastics and metals.”
The work didn’t stop there. Go Graphics also installed bright and inviting colors and patterns on the interior of the children’s hospital to ensure the kids still feel welcome and safe after they depart from the special ambulance. To complete the interior project, Go Graphix was able to use the same printer and media previously referenced for the ambulance install.
This isn’t the first time the PSP has worked with the hospital. They’ve had a professional partnership for years, and that’s something White is proud of.
“We’ve had a great working relationship with Baystate over the years and they weren’t going to anyone else with this. They knew it was unique and they knew it would pose challenges for us,” says White. “There were a lot of obstacles in there for us to overcome in order to meet the objective they were looking for. I think that’s what’s pretty cool when you’ve built up a name and reputation in your area. The thing is, when you do good work, it comes to you. And they’re not going to go anywhere else. They don’t want to risk it when they know the quality of work we can provide.”
Go Graphix and Baystate Children’s Hospital are a perfect example of the good that can come from a well-nurtured business relationship between a PSP and a client.
The hospital had no hesitations about relying on White’s team to not only get the job done, but get it done right and make sure their patients have the best possible experience.
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