Facilitating an organizational culture of healing in an urban medical center.

A 625-bed teaching hospital in an inner city has implemented tenets of a healing environment using the guiding principles of its Planetree affiliation. Patients, visitors, and staff have been the focal points of planning and innovation for 6 years. The challenges of security, safety, and limited resources have required Banner Health's Good Samaritan Medical Center in downtown Phoenix to take a pragmatic approach to implementation. Lessons learned in implementing this culture change in a large urban tertiary care facility will be described. Success factors and model modifications relative to our setting will be identified. Finally, planning efforts, which support continued emphasis on promoting a healing environment, will be outlined as they relate to a $90 million expansion project currently in progress.