Port Huron McLaren Levis Link Pre-Operative Room

A new pre-operative room in McLaren Port Huron, designed to reduce anxiety for patients with special needs, has opened.

Thanks to the generosity of Levi’s Link and the Wilson family, McLaren Port Huron has officially opened its first Levi’s Link Preop sensory bay. The room has been designed to provide a calming and calming environment, free from visual and auditory stimulation that can affect people’s nerves and anxiety. The room can be used by people of all ages with special needs.

“Opening was a dream come true,” Megan Wilson said. “My heart is overflowing with joy because I know how much of a difference this will make to families’ hospital experience.”

Megan Wilson said the Levi’s Link program has helped educate people on how to request accommodations they might need for patients with special needs. She said the opening of the new Levi’s Link Preop sensory bay will help make health care more accessible to people with special needs.

The hall was funded through donations totaling $125,000.

Levi’s Link is a program created in 2018 to improve the hospital experience for patients with special needs. The program is named after Megan Wilson’s 11-year-old son, Levi Wilson. He was diagnosed with autism, apraxia of speech, and sensory processing disorder at age 2.

The new Levi’s Link Preop Sensory Bay has many features that can help make patients more comfortable during their hospital stay, including a noise machine, dimmer switch, and two-way mirror door that hides the hallway from the patient, while allowing staff to see inside. bedroom.

The room also has a toy table, TV and iPad. Patients will also receive a stuffed lion and sensory kit.

Patients will be able to request the room during the phone call they receive before pre-operative care. Levi’s Link Preop Sensory Bay can immediately begin housing patients.

“During these calls, we ask if there are any special needs the patient wants met that way we have a plan before they arrive,” said Beth Warczinsky, director of surgical services at McLaren Port Huron.

Since its inception, Levi’s Link has raised more than $310,000 for the Levi’s Link Special Needs programs in McLaren Port Huron and McLaren Greater Lansing.