URGENT CARE

Urgent Care
BY ANDREA SERCU
DAYSPA, NOV 04, pages 146-155

Several years ago, John Ferguson, CEO of Hackensack University Hospital in Hackensack, New Jersey, saw a great need to promote wellness among his hospital's patients and staff. So, he opened a day spa right across the hall from the hospital's Center of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. Today, one can look at Beyond Day Spa and it doesn’t seem especially different from any other day spa in the world. Yet its establishment is noteworthy because it signifies a trend in the wellness world that’s gaining momentum.
A growing handful of hospital-based day spas are attracting clients and a healthy dose of attention, due mainly to their unique compatibility with departments in the hospital network. The power of location can't be denied: A spa in close proximity to experts in the health field draws instant referrals; provides a wealth of knowledge and resources; and, most importantly, can deliver unbeatable care for those who need it most.

Close Calls
For patients of Hackensack University Hospital, booking an appointment at Beyond Day Spa is as easy as hitting the speed dial on the bedside telephone. And, if a patient is unable to traverse the hospital grounds to visit the nine- room facility, the spa will travel to her, providing in-room services such as facials, hairstyling, scalp treatments, manicures and pedicures. These services make wonderful gifts for family members and friends to give to their hospitalized loved ones. The treatments also provide some much-needed human contact. "Our spa can give a lonely, bedridden patient someone to talk to during the day," notes spa administrative director Marijane Hubbell, R.N.
Approximately 10% of the patients who receive services at Beyond Day Spa have undergone surgery or are scheduled for surgery. Their services may include facials before and after facelifts, cosmetic camouflage makeup for bruising and lymphatic drainage following breast surgery, including' mastectomies. Doctors at the hospital also refer patients to the spa to purchase skincare products. Again, the spa's close proximity to the plastic surgery center lends itself to this retailing opportunity, "Even if a patient is getting a simple Botox treatment at the Center, she'll come on over to the spa and buy her recommended skincare items from us," says Hubbell. "The hospital staff makes sure to pitch the spa to patients." The spa's nonpatient clientele include hospital visitors, many of whom need relief from the strain of tending to loved ones. Even those who feel they can't be away from a patient's room for too long may stop by the spa for a 10-minute massage or pedicure or accept a beeper from the spa to stay in contact. Then there's the hospital staff which accounts to more than 7,000 employees. And finally, there are the outside visitors, who may number as many as 90 on a busy Saturday. Many of these people come solely to experience the top-rate treatments, which include Thai and hot stone massages, oxygen and vitamin C facials and vichy treatments. The spa also features a seasonal menu, which ranges from a cranberry pomegranate body polish in the fall to a calendula/lavender body polish come summertime.
Appealing amenities have helped the spa create a name for itself in the community. Clients can relax and enjoy a tea service in a garden setting alongside a waterfall, or wander the spa's boutique, which features an extensive selection of upscale, luxurious products and merchandise. The boutique doubles as a hospital gift center for patients' families and the employees who stop by to shop for birthdays and other special occasions.

Special Needs
There's no brick-and-mortar day spa at Washington Cancer Institute, Washington Hospital Center in Washington, D.C., but there's plenty of spa care for those with the greatest need. Here, a program called Images, administered with the support of the American Cancer Society (ACS), provides complimentary make-up, hair services and even Reiki therapy to help improve the self-images of cancer patients undergoing intense therapies. The Images program also teaches patients how to deal emotionally with hair loss and offers professional beauty advice on how to camouflage hair loss with wigs, scarves and accessories.

Lynn McKinley-Grant, a dermatologist with an office at the Institute, watched one day as eight estheticians administered a full day's worth of facials for breast cancer patients, in an event sponsored by the hospital.

She saw firsthand the power in providing this level of skin care "It was just wonderful," she says. "Some of these women had never had a facial in their lives." After that, McKinley-Grant began providing weekly complimentary skin care to cancer patients receiving chemotherapy and radiation She and other healthcare workers hope to implement a plan to broaden the care over the long term.

How important is skin care to these particular patients? Immeasurably important. Cancer patients' skin tends to be very sensitive and prone to a high cell turnover rate. Moreover, the professionals who work with them have to be knowledgeable about their special care needs and extra cautious. These patients often experience bone marrow suppression, which can result in a low platelet count and a tendency to bruise. "Chemotherapy patients are more subject to infection, so you don't want to do things that might open the skin," says McKinley-Grant. "I wouldn't want to do microdermabrasion or significant peels." Many of these patients are also prone to herpetic infections, and their skin tends to dry out.

The skin of patients undergoing radiation often hardens and changes texture; some of the treatments McKinley- Grant administers are tailored to address this problem. One of the most effective treatments is a polyvitamin serum containing vitamins A and E, hyaluronic acid, niacin, glycolic acid, lactic acid, green tea and lycene. The combination helps heal radiation dermatitis, an inflammatory condition that's common in radiation patients.

The cancer patient's treatment stage is a key factor in determining which services to perform, and when. Sometimes a patient simply doesn't feel well enough yet to receive any treatments. On the other hand, a facial or a massage can be a great reward when celebrating a final chemo treatment.

As rewarding as the program at Washington Hospital is for patients and caregivers, it is not a profit-making operation, as everything is complimentary. Product donations from IS Clinical by Innovative Skincare alleviates some of the burden, but there are several hundred interested patients, and that requires a full staff of estheticians. "If we offered a full day spa, it would take off," says McKinley-Grant confidently.

That may not be a pipe dream: The Institute is planning a new building that will be designed around a healing theme, complete with large-scale gardens. The doctor hopes to tie into that healing and wellness theme and offer more skincare services, as well as yoga and therapeutic massage.

Solace for the Soul
High anxiety is a common condition for women waiting to receive mammographies and breast biopsy procedures. But Health Central Hospital in Ocoee, Florida, offers a nurturing environment in which fears can be allayed. Its day spa, which opened last February, shares the waiting area with the well-established women's center, so female patients can soothe jangled nerves before appointments with a cup of hot herbal tea, savored in a warm, inviting spa atmosphere.

Later, should these women desire a spa treatment, the hospital strives to oblige. Even those who can't afford to pay may enjoy treatments with the help of its fundraising foundation. Health Central Hospital's Soother Senses scholarships benefit women who are financially strapped and under a great deal of stress. With 171 beds, the full-service hospital has plenty of opportunity to serve. Non-patients find their way down to the completely wheelchair-accessible, first- floor spa. One woman whose teen son was a cancer patient visited regularly during off-hours to ease her stress and anxiety. "There are so many people who are associated with our patients that we're overflowing with need," acknowledges Dr. Elyse Saltalamachia, chiropractor and co-owner.

Recently, the day spa introduced in- room services for patients. The majority of the demand is in the hospital's extensive maternity wing, where most of the women who receive massages are in early labor. After delivery, other services are in demand. Facials help reduce skin inflammation and break-outs related to childbirth. Manicures and pedicures give new moms a lift. "We also offer services to the new dads," notes Saltalamachia.

Outside the maternity wing, patients with specific medical conditions benefit as well. Pedicurists treat the special requirements of diabetic neuropathy and vascular conditions. Saltalamachia notes the spa's pedicurists' high level of certification and the extra care they take in treating these patients' cuticles, nail beds and circulation concerns. Paraffin massage and reflexology are often incorporated into the treatments, and the nail technicians always treat the skin of the hands as well as the nail beds.
The spa staff at Health Central goes through the same clinical orientation as members of the medical staff to make sure that the caregivers remain sensitive to clients' physiological needs. "There's a different type of clientele in a hospital spa," says Saltalamachia. "We know we need to consider the patients' emotional/spiritual state so we try to create a soothing, anxiety-free place. When patients come in for services, we provide a distraction, making it easier for them to face their medical procedures."
The spa's owners hope to add salon services, more massages and more wellness services. "Our goal is to extend ourselves further into the hospital system, so we can go beyond pre- and post-labor care and also offer cancer care and assisted living," she says. "At Health Central, we're trying to position ourselves as a place where people can come not only when they're sick but also when they're well."