Byline: Associated Press
WINDBER, Pa. -- The smell of antiseptics, bright fluorescent lights and plain furnishings are hospital stereotypes that don't apply to Windber Medical Center.
Patients at this 102-bed hospital enjoy bedside lamps, original artwork, fresh flowers and aromatherapy, along with live entertainment, helpful workers and room service.
''They just spoil you here,'' said patient Mary McGuire, 79, of Johnstown.
Attention to detail - like fresh-baked bread and in-room massages - is earning national attention for the hospital about 65 miles southeast of Pittsburgh. The July/August issue of AARP's Modern Maturity magazine lists Windber Medical Center and 14 other institutions as America's most friendly hospitals.
''When I entered this field, I found that everywhere I looked, I asked, 'Why did they run it like that?' '' said Windber President F. Nicholas Jacobs, who became the head of the hospital four years ago. ''We wanted to create a place were you don't have to leave your dignity behind at the door.''
Windber Medical, an affiliate of the Conemaugh Health System, is a full-service hospital located in a town of 4,500 people. It has been the center of town and the biggest employer since it opened in 1906, when Windber was a coal-company town, said medical center spokeswoman Lesa Skotnicki.
Its hospice, health club, research institute and medical arts building attract patients from as far away as Baltimore. It even offers cooking, yoga and other classes.
Windber started out about four years ago to become a ''patient-centered'' hospital.
It started with liberalized visiting hours. Family members can visit as long as they want, and can bring the family dog. Patients also have full access to their charts and can wear their own pajamas, for example.
Windber became affiliated in 1998 with Planetree, a nonprofit organization that helps hospitals brainstorm new ways to provide and improve care.
Many of the hospitals on Modern Maturity magazine's ''most friendly'' list are Planetree affiliates, said Margaret Guroff, the magazine's features editor.
Each hospital on the list was selected for details that make patients feel more comfortable and empowered, Guroff said.
Text of fax box follows:
The top 15
AARP's Modern Maturity magazine featured the following institutions as ''Hospitals With Heart:''
Bergan Mercy Medical Center, Omaha, Neb.
Bronson Methodist Hospital, Kalamazoo, Mich.
Children's Hospital and Health Center, San Diego
Griffin Hospital, Derby, Conn.
Highline Community Hospital, Burien, Wash.
Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute, Detroit
Longmont United Hospital, Longmont, Colo.
Mid-Columbia Medical Center, The Dalles, Ore.
Midwestern Regional Medical Center, Zion, Ill.
North Hawaii Community Hospital, Kamuela, Hawaii.
St. Charles Medical Center, Bend, Ore.
Shawano Medical Center, Shawano, Wis.
Warren Memorial Hospital, Front Royal, Va.
Windber Medical Center, Windber, Pa.
Woodwinds Health Campus, Woodbury, Minn.
