Mike Massaro

Connecticut Children's Medical Center Unveils New Virtual Reality Infusion Center

Taking design cues from an adventure park, The Infusion Center, scheduled to open Tuesday, has patients looking forward to their visits.

Virtual reality is seemingly everywhere today, including medical facilities. Connecticut Children’s new Infusion Center is using this technology hoping to provide therapy in multiple ways.

“I think our theme here was mystical adventure and I think we pretty much nailed that on the head here,” said Karri May, interim director of facilities for Connecticut Children’s Medical Center.

Taking design cues from an adventure park, The Infusion Center, scheduled to open Tuesday, has patients looking forward to their visits.

“Coming from where we were before it was very hospital feeling and here it kind of just feel like I’m at a playground or just some cool resort hotel,” explained 18 year-old patient Chloe Lang.

The facility is brightly colored, with iridescent lighting. Themes throughout the facility are reminiscent of a theme park. The centerpiece of the Infusion Center is a virtual world, allowing patients to create their own avatar, download an exclusive app, and explore what is known as the Wilderverse.

“It’s definitely something to take your mind off the infusion part. Infusions can be long and mine are up to an hour and a half, two hours and sometimes that can drag,” explained Lang, “here it’s gonna fly by with these virtual worlds and (avatars) because you’re gonna be so lost in the moment having fun.”

According to May, the goal of the new facilities’ design was to change the patients’ mindset.

“Getting to a transition where they’re looking forward to coming to the doctors instead of dreading it, was really our biggest goal,” May said, “if we can achieve that then we’ve really hit it out of the park.”

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