Planetree Alliance

The Planetree Alliance is a nonprofit organization of hospitals and other health-care institutions which states its goal is to improve patient care through "patient-oriented" practices that it says make patients less intimidated by institutions and medical care.

The organization was founded in California in 1978 and later reorganized by (and put under the control of) Griffin Hospital, a nonprofit institution in Derby, Connecticut, where the Planetree Alliance is now based.

The group charges hospitals and other institutions fees to join and it has a policy of only allowing one hospital in a particular market to join. In addition to presenting itself as an altruistic organization, it promotes itself on its Web site as a tool hospitals can use to attract more patients. As of early 2006, it cost a typical rural community hospital between $20,000 to $30,000 to join Planetree, with prices rising for larger hospitals. For extra services beyond a standard amount, hospitals pay more. [http://www.fairfieldcountybusinessjournal.com/archive/032006/focus2.html] Gurliacci, David, "The Hospitable Hospital", "Fairfield County Business Journal", March 20, 2006, accessed September 30, 2006]

The organization is named after the sycamore, or plane tree, that Hippocrates sat under when he taught medicine. [ [http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=BG&p_theme=bg&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0FCEC6247A936EED&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM] (article for sale) Boute, Brenda J., "Anna Jaques aims to paper patients" article in "The Boston Globe", August 10, 2003, accessed April 14, 2007: "the Planetree Alliance, named after the sycamore, or plane tree, that Hippocrates sat under when He taught medicine, has been around since 1978 [...] " quote seen free at Google News Archives search result page: [http://news.google.com/archivesearch?q=%22Planetree+Alliance%22&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&btnG=Search+Archives] ]

Planetree goals for caregiving

The Planetree Alliance has organized its patient-care ideas with a 10-part list of "Components" to which hospitals in the association are supposed to find ways to implement: [ [http://www.planetree.org/about/components.htm] Planetree Alliance Web site, Web page titled "Planetree Components" accessed September 17, 2006]
#"Human Interactions" – Create cultures in which patients get "nurturing, compassionate, personalized care"; provide support for the families of patients, and for hospital employees. Some hospitals use retreats to sensitize the staff members.
#"Architectural & Interior Design Conducive to Health and Healing" – Design healthcare spaces to "support patient dignity. Non-institutional designs and homelike atmospheres are encouraged, as is the elimination of "architectural barriers" thought to reduce patient control and privacy or interfere with family participation.
#"The Importance of the Nutritional and Nurturing Aspects of Food" – Serve nutritional food, educate patients about cooking healthy food, add kitchens on patient floors for use by patients, their families and volunteers. In some hospitals, food being cooked, such as cookies, is considered aromatherapy.
#"Empowering Patients Through Information and Education" – Support patient education and participation in decisions about their treatment.
#"The importance of Family, Friends, and Social Support" – Help families and friends support patients. Some hospitals have volunteers who provide emotional support to patients, including in the operating room; in some hospitals, families are given unrestricted visiting hours, including in the intensive care unit.
#"Spirituality: The Importance of Inner Resources" – Make chapels, gardens and meditation rooms for patients available for patients where reflection and prayer are encouraged.
#"The Importance of Human Touch" – Provide services such as therapeutic full-body or chair massage for patients, families and staff.
#"Healing arts: Nutrition for the Soul" – Create "an atmosphere of serenity and playfulness," sometimes with music, storytellers, clowns and funny movies.
#"Complementary Therapies" – Make "Complementary and alternative medical (CAM) therapy" available to patients, with programs in areas such as "heart disease reversal", meditation, therapeutic massage, therapeutic touch, Reiki, acupuncture, Tai Chi and yoga.
#"Healthy Communities" – Address health-care and wellness in the community served by the hospital by working with schools, senior centers, churches and other community partners.

History

Planetree is said to be "probably" the oldest patient-oriented model for hospital reform in the nation. Some others are the Baptist Health-care Leadership Institute in Pensacola, Florida, Sage Consulting of Novato, California., and the American Hospital Association's Institute for Patient Care & Research in Washington, D.C. "Planetree is probably the mother of them all," or at least the most senior organization promoting patient-oriented changes in hospitals, said Rick Wade, a spokesman in the Washington, D.C., office of the American Hospital Association.

Planetree was founded in 1978 by a patient, Angelica Thieriot. Her experience with hospitals gave her satisfaction with the technology of the institutions, but she said she was appalled by the lack of personalized care. [http://www.planetree.org/about/ourfounder.htm] Planetree Alliance Web site, Web page titled "Our Founder", accessed September 17, 2006] Thieriot recruited Ryan Phelan to help start the organization. The two women met with hospital officials in the San Francisco area and decided that instead of trying to found their own hospital, they would try to convince an existing one to adopt their principles. [http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2006/01/08/CMG9QG4U4P1.DTL&type=printable] Seligman, Katherine, "The Social Entrepreneur: Ryan Phelan's controversial new venture is part of her quest to make life questions -- whether about our DNA or the species' existence -- easier for the rest of us" January 8, 2006 SFGate Website of "The San Francisco Chronicle, article reprinted on the Find Articles Web site]

The organization's first project was the Planetree Health Resource Center, a library adjacent to Pacific Presbyterian Hospital. The library offered medical texts and books on self-care. Pacific Presbyterian (which later merged with Children's Hospital to become California Pacific Medical Center) eventually agreed to open a 13-bed unit using Planetree's ideas, including giving patients access to their hospital records, open visiting hours and a kitchen available to family members for cooking. Patients had access to videotapes, a nutrition program and massage therapists along with material from the library.

The organization's name and network of affiliations were bought in 1998 by Griffin Hospital, a nonprofit institution in Derby, Connecticut that was one of the hospitals already in the alliance.

ee also

* List of Planetree Alliance members

Notes

External links

* [http://www.planetree.org Planetree Alliance Web site]