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ASB’s 25-year partnership with the Starship Foundation

ASB celebrates 25-year partnership with ground-breaking innovation for Starship’s Children’s Emergency Department


To celebrate ASB’s 25-year partnership with the Starship Foundation, ASB and Starship today revealed the national children’s hospital’s newly renovated children’s emergency department assessment and waiting area.

Every year 34,000 children come to the Starship children’s emergency department (CED). The assessment area and waiting room is where the patient journey starts for many of these children.

Starship CED staff identified an opportunity to use interactive technology to help distract children and prepare them for treatment, as well as create a more accommodating space for patient comfort and flow. ASB shared this vision and, along with the help of their customers, has helped bring the idea life.

The space introduces New Zealand hospital-first interactive technology, created in consultation with young patients, to calm nervous patients and their whānau at what is often a difficult time. This includes ‘The Starship Animal Check-ups’ and ‘The Magic Forest’.

‘The Starship Animal Check-ups’ space is a wall of frames featuring different characters to take children through check-up experiences familiarising them with the processes they will soon undertake with the clinical team. Jungle characters such as lions teach children to open their mouths wide, meerkats demonstrate different heart rates and blowfish help to coach different breathing rhythms.

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‘The Magic Forest’ is an avatar scene experience creating a calming space to relax and enjoy quiet time. In this space, virtual birds and flowers react to interaction; move slowly and the flowers and birds will come towards visitors, move too quickly and they will be scared off.

Dr Mike Shepherd, Director – Starship Medical and Community, says: “The assessment and waiting area is the hub of the Starship children’s emergency department, where children and their families are triaged, assessed and spend time being observed and waiting for results and procedures.

“The refurbishment means a better experience for our patients and their families and a more effective work space for our staff.”

ASB and its customers have committed $1 million to the Starship Foundation for the renovation.

ASB Chief Executive Vittoria Shortt says: “Together with our customers, ASB is delighted to have fundraised $1 million for the Starship Foundation to mark our 25-year partnership. The unique ‘Starship Animal Check-Ups’ and ‘Magic Forest’ spaces are the result of a truly collaborative effort between ASB, the Starship Foundation, Starship staff and patients and we believe they will help children progress in their journey towards health.”

Nurse Unit Manager for Starship’s CED Anna-Marie Grace says: “On average our team treats 100 children per day who arrive requiring care in the emergency department – from fixing broken arms to the resuscitation of a very sick child. The new layout will improve flow and comfort, making it easier for our team to triage patients; while the digital interaction distracts children as they wait for treatment. We are so thankful to the Starship Foundation and ASB for enabling this fantastic upgrade.”

Starship’s new children’s emergency department assessment and waiting area was officially revealed at an event at Starship this morning.

–Ends –

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