T. J. Samson Community Hospital Takes a Non-Traditional Approach to Medicine
Those unfamiliar with T.J. Samson Community Hospital might be surprised to find that 19th-century French paintings could aid the healing process‚ or that teams of doctors here are helping folks in the Caribbean along with their south-central Kentucky patients.
But these nontraditional practices are no mystery to the hospital’s 1‚000-plus staff. In fact‚ these innovative ideas are a tremendous source of pride for this small-town hospital with a big heart.
Cardiac patients often begin hospital stays with trepidation. And for a long time‚ hospital aesthetics hadn’t helped matters much. Pale‚ drab paint and lifeless art usually reserved for bland office spaces are standard design features in many hospitals.
Step into the waiting room in the T.J. Samson Cardiology Unit‚ however‚ and you’ll find a more comfortable setting and inviting atmosphere‚ complete with homey furniture and more than 20 prints of works by French painter Adolph William Bouguereau beautifully arranged on the walls.
“ People are so tired of the sterility of hospitals; many are afraid and literally dread their visits to medical centers‚” says cardiologist Dr. Melissa Walton-Shirley. “This display gives patients the opportunity to learn something new‚ puts their mind someplace else – if only for a little while – and just generally brightens up the area.”
Walton-Shirley lobbied for the waiting room transformation after she discovered Bouguereau’s work. His paintings combine precise drawing‚ contour and finish with strict adherence to the rules of anatomy‚ perspective and expression. In other words‚ his paintings look like photographs at first glance.
“ Art and medicine really are similar in many ways‚” Walton-Shirley says. “Both will hopefully make you feel better and each gives you perspective on examining yourself and life.”
Walton-Shirley‚ who has worked for T.J. Samson for 12 years‚ also credits Dwayne Moss‚ the hospital’s chief executive officer‚ for his trust in her vision.
“ I’m grateful that he understood what my goal was and that he allowed me the latitude to see it through‚” she says. “He truly appreciates human beings and wants the hospital to be a place of healing and well-being – not a scary‚ institutional setting.”
And innovative approaches aren’t limited to the cardiology unit at T.J. Samson. Dr. Brent Wright has helped create an international medical rotation in Belize. In spring 2004‚ medical residents will be sent to the Caribbean as part of a multidisciplinary project with the University of Louisville’s International Service Learning Unit.
“ We’re currently the only residency program participating with this endeavor and we look forward to creating this experience not only for our residents but for the people of Belize who we will be serving‚” Wright says.
Wright grew up about 45 miles from Glasgow in Hodgenville. He was so impressed with the staff and administration at T.J. Samson after his two-year stint as chief resident in the Family Practice Unit that he bagged his plans of pursuing a career in private practice and applied for a professorship with the department. Wright is now the program director in the Family Practice Unit.
“ At times‚ larger facilities tend to become impersonal‚ but T.J. Samson – despite its success and growth – has maintained that personal touch that is so important for all involved‚” he says.
