| by Phyllis Roy | January 15, 2008 |
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Greenfield Mural Brings Focus, Familiarity to BFMC Emergency Department Patients
GREENFIELD – The Emergency Department at Baystate Franklin Medical Center has become the new home for “The Greenfield Mural,” a decorative painting that was created through a collaboration between the former Franklin Adult Day Health Center (FADHC) and two professional artists. At the time of the project, FADHC was a program of Baystate Franklin Medical Center and was managed by Shirley Hunting, of Greenfield.
In 1999, funded in part by a grant from the Greenfield Arts Council, professional artists Patricia Welch and Nicole Perrier designed the Greenfield Mural using a series of about 200 photographs they had taken of landmarks in Greenfield. Approximately 30 FADHC participants were involved in the mural creation. The artists had several conversations with program participants, and then developed a vision of Greenfield based on participants’ recollections. Welch and Perrier painted the mural, with FADHC participants helping to paint the background.
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How Many Greenfield Landmarks Can You Identify in the Mural?
The mural was designed by professional artists Patricia Welch and Nicole Perrier and executed by
about 30 participants from the Franklin Adult Day Health Center in 1999.
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| Baystate Franklin Medical Center is one of the buildings featured in the mural. “Our hospital certainly plays a vital role in the health and well-being of the community that surrounds it and appropriately is one of the buildings depicted in the mural,” Hunting explained. Other buildings include the Roundhouse at the Franklin County Fairgrounds, the Courthouse, Greenfield Public Library, Green River covered bridge, Poet’s Seat Tower, the Weldon House, Town Hall some of the Greenfield Schools, and many other Greenfield landmarks.
“The mural has become a real center of attention and conversation since it arrived in our Emergency Department a few weeks ago,” commented Robin Neipp, RN, an Emergency Department nurse. “When patients come in, they are in unfamiliar territory, both literally and figuratively, and are nervous about being here. The mural helps ground people as they recognize these well-known Greenfield landmarks.”
Amy Swisher, director of Public and Community Relations at BFMC, explained further, “Large photographic landmarks are an important aspect of our new way-finding system at Baystate Franklin. The Greenfield Mural helps us further reflect the community we serve, drawing the outside in to create a familiar, comfortable atmosphere at the hospital.”
Five Franklin County landmarks, including the Bridge of Flowers, the Greenfield Energy Park, the Turners Falls fish ladder, an apple orchard, and a church steeple, are located in key decision-point areas throughout the hospital, such as stairways, major intersections, and elevators, where people will make decisions about which direction to take. Like the Greenfield Mural, the way-finding landmarks are another means to help patients and visitors feel more at ease in the hospital environment.
Hunting concluded, “What I love about the Greenfield mural is that it really shows ‘our’ community – from safety (fire station) to families (parents walking their children) to county fairs, farming, schools and churches. There’s something in the mural with which everyone can identify. I’m so pleased that it is now hanging in such a frequented location, so all can enjoy it”
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