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Prime Times Weekly publication of the Mail Tribune , Medford, Oregon Homey Hospital Garth, a certified pet therapy dog, makes her rounds at McKenzie-Willamette Hospital in Springfield. Young Jacob Whetham, center, had kisses for both his great-grandfather, Donald Van Dyke, in the bed at left, and Garth. At right is Jacob's mother Denise Tackett. In the background is Garth's owner, Sandi Arrington. Live music, massage therapy and visits from pets are just some of the features at McKenzie-Willamette Hospital in Springfield that make it a trend-steer in the healing arts JANET FILIPS for The Associated Press SPRINGFIELD -- In the day-surgery waiting room at McKenzie-Willamette Hospital, loved ones sit, alone or in clusters, clutching their coffee cups and their fears. As she waits for news about her mother's surgery, Sue Wilson, 53, listens to harpist Christine Gilliland at McKenzie-Willamette Hospital in Springfield. The hospital offers small-town touches such as visiting hours at all times of the day along with state-of-the-art medical technology. Then Christine Gilliland arrives, uncovers her harp, wraps herself around the instrument and at the behest of the hospital sends the lilting sounds of its strings across the room. The music relaxes and distracts 53-year-old Sue Wilson as she waits for word of her mother's condition in the beige-painted waiting area, its walls hung with a garland of autumn leaves and self-portraits by local second-graders. The plucked strings remind her of a wind chime she bought last summer for her deck, she said; the harp soothes her in a similar way. On another day, a massage therapist might soothingly massage the feet or backs of patients and family members. Or a certified pet therapy dog a chocolate and golden Lab mix named Garth might pay a visit. And every day, pediatric patients snuggle against handmade stuffed animals or homemade quilts that are theirs to take home. With a combination of small-town touches, unexpected alternative therapies and flexible policies, McKenzie-Willamette Hospital strives on a shoestring budget to add a warm touch to the antiseptic, tension-filled world of medical care. The 114-bed community hospital is an acute care facility with a state-of-the-art diagnostic imaging center, an emergency department that meets the state standard as a Level II trauma center and an occupational medicine program that serves more than 1,500 area employers. Visiting hours? They're around the clock. Miss your pet cat terribly during recovery from surgery? If Fluffy is current with her shots, she can drop by your room or a waiting area if your roommate is allergic to cats. Turned off by the artwork in your room in the intensive care unit? You can select another piece from a rotating art gallery. Having a baby? An in-room Jacuzzi will help you move through labor. And when it's time to head home, Baby's head will be topped with a one-of-a-kind soft stocking cap knit by a hospital volunteer. "We have found our new parents are very appreciative of a handmade item rather than something you can buy by the gross and plop on babies' heads," volunteer coordinator Thelma Clemons said. "These are special keepsake items." Kathy Deacon, the hospital's chief operating officer, said the 44-year-old institution has a long-standing, top-to-bottom commitment to "humanize the hospital experience" a commitment that intensified during the 1990s. A half-dozen hospitals in Oregon, including McKenzie-Willamette, stick out as leaders in this approach, said Ken Rutledge, president of the Oregon Association of Hospital and Health Systems. "I think it's a direction that increasingly we're going to see hospitals going in," he said. Giving newborns hand-knit caps is not unique in Oregon, Rutledge said, "but it's very smart. Around the state, there are other smaller hospitals that have found and latched onto the same thing." The winning formula, Rutledge said, involves niceties that patients appreciate, an understanding of today's medical consumer and a culture in the organization, from top to bottom, that believes in blending Western clinical approaches with spiritual and emotional approaches to healing. Big hospitals know they need to deliver care more holistically, Rutledge said; most are not there yet because "it's much easier to turn a small boat than a larger ship." Volunteers and employees are a big piece of the mind-body-spirit effort. "We look for opportunities to stretch our meager dollars as far as we possibly can," Deacon said. For instance, Garth, the Labrador, comes calling on the day off of his owner, Sandi Arrington, a registered nurse at the hospital. Another employee arranged a hallway concert involving her daughter's chamber music group at the University of Oregon. And massage therapists come to the hospital via three paths: Jan Locke, a licensed massage therapist, works for the hospital eight hours a week, giving massages and coordinating two volunteer programs involving senior students and local graduate interns. A $1,000 grant from employees helps support the massage therapy program. This year, the hospital budgeted $2,000 for an annual membership to the Acchord Music Access Project. The group periodically sends musicians, such as harpist Gilliland, to fill hospital hallways and waiting areas with mellow sounds. "There are so many things we do here that are painful and scary and intrusive," said Hannah Thomassen, director of nursing and the person who forged the link between the Cascade Institute and the hospital. Relaxing, complementary approaches, she said, provides a good counterpoint to the medical treatments. The hospital is beginning to track the mind-body effects of massage. "It's just amazing, the power of touch," said Jan Locke, a massage therapist who has cared for women giving birth, children, and dying patients in comas. "It helps them to feel calm and cared for in an environment that's difficult to relax in because there are so many things going on and they are sick and in pain. "You're loving them, is what you're doing." Prime Times front page Mail Tribune front page Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, Oregon USA