If Jaynelle Stichler had her way, patients would no longer find hospitals to be dreadful places, but actually find them somewhat, well, hospitable.
They would be healing places with lots of natural lighting, large windows and manicured gardens. Patients would be able to enjoy quiet time with friends and families to heal together.
Corridors and patient rooms would be bathed in soothing hues and feel like living spaces, not temporary quarters.
The good news is that the idea of hospitals as healing places is catching on, said Jaynelle Stichler, principal of the Healthcare Consulting Division at the Stichler Group Inc., an architectural and design firm in San Diego.
The former nurse and past executive director of Women’s Services at Sharp Healthcare prides herself in having helped in the design of Sharp’s Mary Birch Hospital for Women.
“Mary Birch was designed in 1978, long before the healing environment was popular,” Stichler said. Yet, it bears all the elements of a healing place, she said.
For her efforts, Stichler was awarded the University of San Diego’s Arthur E. Hughes Career Achievement Award on May 12 at the Sheraton San Diego Hotel & Marina.
Stichler, who earned a doctorate in nursing science from USD in 1990, said she felt privileged to be named among such distinguished honorees.
The Stichler Group, headquartered on Aero Drive, was founded by Stichler’s husband, Ronald, in 1983 and now has 110 employees.
