Rocky Mountain Hospital for Children unveils recovery space for medical staff

DENVER — Rocky Mountain Hospital for Children (RMHC) unveiled Rowan’s Zen Den, an area for neonatal ICU (NICU) nurses and hospital staff to relax and unwind from the stresses of the job.

The space is in honor of Rowan Endsley, who spent his 10 days of life in the NICU at RMHC.

“We have a beautiful massage chair. We have aromatherapy. We have calming music,” said Chief Nursing Officer John Goerke. “There's weighted blankets and fidget toys to really help the nurses decompress quickly and meet whatever needs they may really desire when it comes to relaxation.”

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NICU manager Quinn Schaeken knows that places to unwind from the stresses of the day can be hard to come by in a hospital.

“I think everyone deserves and needs a place to rest, especially away from other people,” said Schaeken. “Sometimes that's hard in the staff lounge when there's others in there and you just want to kind of zone out by yourself.”

Rowan’s Zen Den was established through a partnership between RMHC and Rocky Mountain Children’s Health Foundation in honor of Rowan Endsley, who was cared for by the NICU team at RMHC. He only had 10 days of life, but Rowan’s family had a profound connection with the staff in the NICU. They wanted to give the medical staff who took care of Rowan a place to go to when they feel overwhelmed by the stresses of working in a hospital.

The Endsley family was there Thursday morning to cut the ribbon and officially open Rowan’s Zen Den to the staff at RMHC.

“I just met the Endsley family this morning, and the way he talked about the impact that we made in such a short period of time with baby Rowan is just truly amazing,” said Schaeken. “I definitely shed tears when he was talking about it. And it's just such a beautiful reminder for all of us of the impact we can make in such a short time, whether it's five minutes, 10 days or a six-month NICU stay.”

The NICU team is excited to have a space to disconnect from their job, even if for just a few minutes at a time. The Endsley family wanted to make sure that the staff knew how appreciated they were.

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“I know that they wanted to really recognize the physicians, the nurses and the entire NICU team for the work they did with the family,” said Goerke. “And it's just very exciting to see it all come together.”

Schaeken believes that the strong culture developed at RMHC is a major reason for the connection they can make to patients and their families in such a short period.

“I just really want to share the message of how special this place is and how grateful I am to work here and to have gotten this job," said Schaeken. “I just started four months ago, and I already feel like this is truly where I'm meant to be, in this hospital… It feels like home. I've worked at other hospitals and institutions before, and coming here, it just feels so real and authentic… it’s like the culture of teamwork is really pushing excellent quality patient care.”

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