ST. LOUIS — They say laughter is the best medicine and the doctors at Ranken Jordan Pediatric Bridge Hospital agree. They consider playtime crucial to a child’s healing process.
That’s why the hospital is building a $1.4 million space for its younger patients to play. The “optimization zone” or “OZ” is the name of the area.
It’s similar to a pre-school for young children who have medical conditions and spend a lot of time in the hospital. Ranken Jordan currently has a temporary set-up for “OZ,” which gives kids an opportunity to get out of bed and interact with other children.
Doctors studied the effects of “OZ” and were so impressed with the results that they decided to make it bigger and better.
