The future of healthcare will include wellness experiences as alternative methods of treatments. In recent years, we have seen a huge push from governing bodies driving changes into the healthcare industry. The desire is to get people out of the hospital faster and keep them out. The industry shift we are experiencing now is both a reaction to this organizational structural change for the health system and consumer desire to live and seek out wellness opportunities. Consumers are not interested solely in healthcare as a service; they crave experiences.
On a recent healthcare project, we brainstormed ideas about using commonly considered categories of wellness to create unique customer experiences that would boost health outcomes. We had some wild ideas.
For instance, air. Air is one of the many concepts certified by the Well Building Standard. Access to quality, clean air is crucial to keeping people healthy. Pollution is evident everywhere including our homes and business. Our bodies are working hard to pull the oxygen that we need from the air while filtering out the bad stuff. As we age, our bodies get less efficient at doing this, and our brain functions, bone density and muscle composition diminish due to the reduced oxygen. When we get sick, our lungs often struggle to get the oxygen that we need. We’ve all seen it before: the individual toting around an oxygen tank, wearing a mask/tube, struggling physically and mentally. How can we change that experience? How can we liberate them of the restraints and create freedom to build relationships?
So, here was a proposition. What if there was a room that was highly oxygenated, where people could be free of their restrictive devices, interact freely and receive a huge lasting boost in cognitive and metabolic functions.
I thought this was a wild idea but would be super cool in healthcare. I am excited to see that someone is creating such an experience and radically changing healthcare. I’m sad it wasn’t me of course, but maybe I’ll be first on the next one…
It’s called Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy – a treatment in which clients breathe in pure oxygen in a pressurized chamber where air pressure is increased to twice that of normal air. The therapy increases oxygen levels in the blood and penetrates deeply into all tissues. Then, the body naturally ramps up its rejuvenation processes. The proposed result is significant improvement in your mental and physical performance and feeling better, inside and out.
And it happens in a beautiful place like this:
Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy is not new. It has been used previously on patients with hard to heal wounds and other difficult ailments. The problem was it occurred in a small isolated, often claustrophobic chamber, deep in the hospital and was only used for advanced healing needs. But, we all need advanced healing – I know I do. I would like to experience the rejuvenating effects of spending time in a place like this.
The future of the healthcare campus is a place to go for these types of wellness experiences. It is not just a place to go to see your doctor. It will be composed of services aimed at accelerating recovery, rejuvenating the mind and body, and building relationships. You will be served a healthy meal from a locally sourced restaurant to nourish your body, receive oxygen therapy with friends, and meet with your financial advisor to discuss your lavish market returns. Okay, I don’t know about that last one. But why not? Financial health is a large contributor to wellness, so maybe.
At Lawrence Group, we pride ourselves in our diverse range of expertise and ability to come together across multiple disciplines as a holistic team. We use our technical knowledge in healthcare alongside our creative entertainment and hospitality team to create environments that change industry. City Foundry STL is a great example of this. Innovative food, research laboratory, grocery and entertainment venues create a bustling and dynamic destination. Healthcare campuses are evolving, and the future is in creating experiences not only to heal but to keep us well.
What’s next? Water?