Digital Download - PowerPoint Synchronized with Live Audio

Beth Israel Medical Center (BIMC) in New York City, in collaboration with Donna Karan and Urban Zen Foundation, launched a unique pilot program in 2009 to enhance the care of patients in the hospital. The goal of this program is to create an optimal healing environment that is built around a menu of complementary healing therapies. 

The Pilot Program initially designed to help relieve symptoms of pain nausea and anxiety in cancer patients, evaluated the Optimal Healing Environment in an evidence-based research study.  It measured patient satisfaction and other outcomes (e.g., reduced symptoms, and decrease in use of pain and anti-nausea medications), family and staff satisfaction, and cost-benefit ratios*. 

This Pilot Program served as the model for development of the clinical rotations component for the Urban Zen Integrative Therapist (UZIT) program protocol.  Now in 2013, over 6,000 patients have received an Urban Zen therapist experience. Jillian Friedman, E-RYT, Program Supervisor of the Integrative Yoga therapies in the Department of Integrative medicine at BIMC will share recent research initiatives and poster presentations of this effort. In addition she will teach and experiential component of the UZIT training to illustrate how yoga can be delivered in a hospital environment.  Dr. Roberta Lee, Vice Chair of  the Department of Integrative Medicine at BIMC will discuss in broad terms how this holistic program contributes to the identity and meaning of IM in a clinical setting.