Your Stories: Tranquility Rooms Coming to Saint Francis and Mount Sinai

A new grant and generous individual gifts will make the first tranquility room at Saint Francis a (virtual) reality.

Mission Integration, the Executive Leadership Team, and the Saint Francis Foundation have been working together to create three much deserved on-site sanctuaries for our dedicated colleagues at Saint Francis and Mount Sinai. These serene spaces are being fully funded through philanthropy. With a recent $75,000 grant award and significant donations from board members, grateful patients, community members, and other colleagues, construction of the first tranquility room at Saint Francis is set to start within weeks.

Growing in need and popularity at hospitals nationwide since the COVID-19 pandemic, tranquility rooms are immersive, virtual retreats where caregivers can escape during their breaks to relax and recharge. Tranquility room users report significant reductions in stress levels after just 15 minutes, and studies have shown these spaces result in better sleep, fewer medical errors, and improved patient outcomes.

At Mercy Medical Center and Saint Mary’s Hospital, where tranquility rooms have already opened, colleagues call them “game changers” and “life savers.” Leaders at Saint Francis and Mount Sinai are consulting with colleagues across different departments to learn what they would find most beneficial in the rooms.

“We are infinitely grateful to our caregivers for persevering over the past several years to consistently provide our patients with high-quality, compassionate care, and to our generous benefactors for helping us show these caregivers we are as committed to them as they are to our patients,” said Jerry Galipeau, Executive Director of Mission Integration for Saint Francis and Mount Sinai.

Construction on the first tranquility room is set to begin in December. This room will be located in Building 1A, given its central location to colleagues in Buildings 1, 2, and 7. Other tranquility rooms are being planned for Building 9 at Saint Francis along with one on the Mount Sinai campus. Keep an eye out for additional announcements regarding construction and the opening of the first tranquility room.

To learn more about the planned tranquility rooms or to contribute towards their creation, please contact Amy Buzzell at the Saint Francis Foundation at abuzzell@trinityhealthofne.org or 860-714-9917.

Submitted by Amanda Nardiello, Regional Director of Donor Relations & Communications, Trinity Health Of New England Philanthropy

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