By Emily Kresse
Iowans eager to check out the new University of Iowa Stead Family Children’s Hospital might not have to travel to Iowa City to do so. From now until September, the Children’s Road Show will tour Iowa, giving virtual tours of the new facility.
During the tour, the user puts on headphones and virtual-reality glasses. It includes 360-degree images of the mock up rooms for both the Pediatric and Neonatal Intensive Care Units, and it highlights aspects of each room meant to enhance care, such as the dual shades to control how much light is in the room to the sliding glass doors wide enough for the patient’s bed to be transported. The tour ends with the view of Kinnick Stadium from the top of the 164-foot building, the tallest in Iowa City.
Two interns for the UI Foundation with the van’s tour say that so far, their stops have gone well and they have received positive feedback from a variety of people.
“It’s reaching every age group, the kids enjoy it, parents have shared stories about being in the [Neonatal Intensive Care Unit], everyone has been amazing,” said UI junior Greta Doucette, an intern with the foundation. “The Children’s Hospital has been nationally ranked, and now we have the facilities to match.”
Families also have the opportunity to make cards that will be delivered to patients’ rooms. Kate Casaletto’s 2-year-old son eagerly decorated a card during the event, and Casaletto said she liked the activities available.
“Kids getting cards from kids is a good idea,” said Casaletto, who remembers the new hospital as breaking ground around the same time her son was born.
The van stopped in Iowa City Sunday to attend the Hy-Vee KidsFit Family Fun Event. The event came about in part to promote KidsFit, Hy-Vee’s new online fitness program aimed at helping families learn more about nutrition and wellness. The program includes fitness challenges, instructional videos, healthy snack ideas, among other items.
Cathy Gehris, a Hy-Vee registered dietitian, has helped plan the event since February.
“We are trying to do a little bit of everything; people are at different stages, so we are trying to meet them where they’re at and get them where they want to be,” she said.
The event also included Hy-Vee’s Healthy You Mobile, which is used to go to businesses to do health screenings or to be outside of stores for interactive exhibits.
A local popcorn producer gave out samples, and grilled burgers and chicken were available for purchase, because, Gehris said, often people do not realize those are healthy options and education was the cornerstone of the event. Sports nutritionists were on hand to talk about how being a better athlete requires adequate sleep and being well-nourished.
Gehris, who heard about the van through a contact at the UI Foundation, said she was happy it was able to be at Sunday’s event.
“It’s a perfect thing for that to be here,” she said. “We wanted today to be an inexpensive family outing with a variety of options.”
