In 2009, Mendocino Coast Hospital initiated the Healing Hospital initiative, an innovative and comprehensive wellness program to improve the health of our community by creating a “culture of health” in our schools and in our community. As a result, we offer:
- On-going fitness classes help you get in shape and maintain your mobility.
- Wellness coaching provides strategies to achieve and maintain a new level of wellness.
- Stress reduction tools in hospital departments promote healing.
- Complementary wellness practitioners provide non-traditional therapies for achieving your good health goals
- Monthly health lectures offer tips for daily living.
In-Hospital Strategies
Whether you visit the hospital for a lab test, diagnostic imaging study or a surgical procedure, you’re likely to encounter our Healing Hospital program.
- The Food Service Department provides ratings so you know which dishes are the healthiest “Green Light Foods”.
- Our Patient Access Coordinators offer a voluntary health assessment survey as you register for your appointments to help you understand your current health status.
- The nurses in obstetrics and gynecology use proven healing hands techniques to calm and soothe restless newborns.
- Surgical nurses offer guided imagery audio tapes to help promote a positive attitude about surgery which reduces studies show reduces stress and begins the healing process.
- Our lab techs provide stress measurement/biofeedback cards that help you relax before having your blood drawn.
- Our complementary medicine specialists offer massages and hypnotherapy for surgical patients to reduce stress.
- In the oncology/hematology department, patients undergoing infusion therapy for cancer can look out the window at our healing garden.
- The Rehabilitation Department takes a patient from an unhealthy to healthy state of mind in a matter of minutes simply by giving feedback about their breathing and stress level.
The Wellness Center
The Wellness Center offers a variety of programs and strategies for promoting wellness and improving your health.
- Health Lectures – each month, a doctor, nurse, complementary medicine practitioner or other medical specialist offers a health lecture on a wide variety of popular topics.
- Wellness Classes – one and two-day classes offer strategies to improve you mental and physical well-being.
- Workout Center – a fully-equipped gym is available for patients, former patients and staff to maintain mobility and overall fitness.
- Fitness Classes – a wide range of classes are available from pilates and reiki to yoga and tai ji to build and maintain your flexibility and core strength.
Rehabilitation Center
Our team of physical and occupational therapists have extensive training and experience helping you recover from injuries, disease or surgery. They provide hand therapy, speech therapy and a full-range of physical therapy treatments to get you back on your feet.
Wellness Practitioners Network
In cooperation with the hospital, a network of more than 85 community providers offer complementary medicine therapies as an alternative to traditional western medicine. Their services range from aculight, acupressure and acupuncture to hypnotherapy, herbal healing, craniosacral therapy, and naturopathic medicine. A complete list with contacts is available at http://www.mcdh.org/health-wellness-practitioners.