DuPont Contributes To A Bright Environment

The company donated sheets of its Corian® material to help create a high-tech gathering place for hospitalized children and teens. The “Lion’s Den,” as the colorful spot is called, is located at Wolfson Children’s Hospital in Jacksonville, FLthe only full-service tertiary hospital for children in Northeast Florida.

The Lion's Den at Wolfson Children's Hospital
The Lion's Den at Wolfson Children's Hospital

Through a partnership with Hockey Hall-of-Famer Pat LaFontaine’s Companions in Courage Foundation, DuPont donated sheets of DuPont™ Corian® for the project. The hospital’s Lion’s Den is custom designed to offer an oasis to help ease a child’s stay. To help achieve the room’s cheerful look, each of the brightly colored panels, chairs, and tables are made entirely from DuPont™ Corian® solid surfaces.

“We’re dedicated to helping the community in a meaningful way,” said Thomas F. Schuler, vice president and general manager, DuPont Building Innovations. “With Corian®, we not only add a splash of color to the children’s environment, but due to its easy to clean, seamless surface, it also helps hospital staff with infection control, ultimately bettering the care these kids receive.”

The space offers high-tech diversions for young patients.
The space offers high-tech diversions for young patients.

The Lion’s Den in the Wolfson Children’s Hospital is one of six nationwide. Outfitted with flat screen TVs, Microsoft® Xbox 360 video games, video teleconferencing, and Internet-ready computers, the rooms provide outlets for children to connect and play with children at other Lion’s Dens, and to chat with loved ones, teachers, and friends across the country. In addition, kids have the chance to meet national celebrities and sports heroes via videoconferencing arranged by the Companions in Courage Foundation.

“These one-of-a-kind rooms are intended to stimulate hospitalized children and connect them with family, friends and celebrities,” LaFontaine said. “By introducing technology into the healing process and using innovative materials like Corian®, we are able to provide these children with a colorful place where they can behave and play like normal, healthy kids.”

Corian® meets all 18 preferred characteristics of the ideal surfacing product to help facilitate infection control as defined in the Guidelines for Design and Construction of Health Care Facilities, including being seamless, impact resistant, and having low VOC/no off-gassing.

The Companions in Courage Foundation was founded by NHL Hall-of-Famer Pat LaFontaine as a response to the inspiration he derived while visiting children in hospitals during his 15-year career. His immediate goal is to build interactive playrooms in children’s hospitals throughout North America. Through communications tools, these playrooms are meant to mitigate the isolation of a hospital by providing ways to connect to family, friends and celebrities during a child’s hospital stay.

The DuPont Oval, DuPontTM, The miracles of scienceTM, and Corian® and Zodiaq® are registered trademarks or trademarks of DuPont or its affiliates. Only DuPont makes Corian® and Zodiaq®. Microsoft™ Xbox 360 is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation.