Northwest Community Hospital opens sensory rooms for special needs patients

Northwest Community Hospital has converted two examination rooms in its emergency department into sensory rooms for patients with developmental disabilities.

The rooms feature wall murals, iPads, comfortable chairs, weighted blankets, crash mats, exercise balls and fidget balls. The Arlington Heights hospital also hired an advanced practice nurse who has experience working with developmentally disabled individuals to staff the rooms.

Hospital officials say the sights, sounds and pace of an emergency department can be overwhelming, especially for those with genetic conditions like Down syndrome. The sensory rooms will provide a tranquil environment to calm patients while they wait to see a physician, officials say.

The hospital unveiled the rooms at a ribbon cutting this week attended by donors who helped make the rooms possible, including Arlington Heights residents Marcy Burhop, Chris and Susan Dungan, and The Rotary Club of Arlington Heights.

Speaking to the donors, Kimberly Nagy, the hospital's executive vice president for patient services and chief nursing officer, told them, "You all made it very possible for us to take that step into that new direction to be able to better fulfill the needs of a very special patient population."