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Spending time at the hospital can be heavy for a patient, their loved ones, or staff.
But upgrades to the courtyard at the Regina General Hospital have been designed to alleviate some of that stress.
The Hospitals of Regina Foundation and the Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) unveiled the transformed space on Tuesday morning.
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Several changes have been made to refresh the space, including more plants and flowers, better lighting and security, more seating, a children’s chalkboard bench and five murals created by local artists.
Lead artist Harley Sinclair said the whole experience was a “pinch me” moment.
“I’m going to be a part of a lot of people’s healing journeys,” he said. “Offering that little bit of positivity in a moment of darkness for them, it brings a smile to my face, and it never will stop.”
Harley Sinclair’s mural, called The Spirit Stands Strong, represents the strength found in the collaborative journey of healing. His piece depicts a stag standing in a field of flowers. He said the stag represents strength and resilience for a lot of cultures. The flowers in the field represent sorrow, loss and pain, but the stag stands tall in the face of hardship. (Nicole Garn/980 CJME)
Sinclair said he was a former patient at the hospital, and never thought he’d see himself where he is today.
During his time as a patient, he said the courtyard was a space to get some fresh air, but that was all it provided.
“(Now it’s an) inclusive space that patients and staff can come out (to) and escape from the negative energies and feeling of being in a hospital,” he said.
Sinclair is a contemporary Indigenous artist from the Peepeekisis Cree Nation. He’s always had a creative side and has been practising art for about eight years.
He worked on two pieces in the courtyard — the main mural and one of the four murals which depict the core principles of patient and family care: dignity and respect, information sharing, participation, and collaboration.
The main mural that hangs on the wall of the hospital represents a healing journey for patients, families and hospital staff, according to artist Harley Sinclair. He said the piece was inspired by collaboration and what the hospital means for the community. (Nicole Garn/980 CJME)
The upgrades were made possible thanks to a $50,000 contribution from the Hospitals of Regina Foundation.
President and CEO of the foundation, Dino Sophocleous, said the upgrades give people a place to relax.
“We felt that contributing (to) this project will help our patients and their families as they go through very stressful times … but also it will help our hospital teams that deliver that health care every day,” he said.
“They have a very stressful job, and anything we can do to contribute to their mental health and their well-being is a good thing.”
Hospitals of Regina Foundation President and CEO Dino Sophocleous and Sheila Anderson, Vice-President of Integrated Regina Health with the SHA, in the newly upgraded courtyard at the Regina General Hospital. (Nicole Garn/980 CJME)
Sheila Anderson, Vice-President of Integrated Regina Health with the SHA, is thankful for the foundation’s contribution and encourages people to use the space.
“The outdoors is very inviting, and it’s a different space for someone to come during their shift, or just to get away and maybe lighten their load a little bit,” she said.
The other artists featured are Geanna Dunbar, Ingrid Van Opstal-Tamez, Cristian Barreno and Jamie Reynolds.
Ingrid Van Opstal-Tamez’s piece is called Whispers of the Prairie: Healing Through Resilience. The black-capped chickadee is Regina’s official bird and it represents strength and collaboration in the face of hardship. The prairie rose, which thrives in harsh conditions, symbolizes endurance and the beauty of the healing process. (Nicole Garn/980 CJME)
Van Opstal-Tamez has been an artist for most of her life. She said being able to share her art in such a special place means a lot to her.
“It’s a very deep-seated, joyful feeling,” she said. “It’s not even about us, it’s about what it provides to other people.”
Cristian Barreno’s piece was created with the help of his friend Jamie Reynolds. The piece is called Messages of Love and displays a flock of origami-style birds flying in the Qu’Appelle Valley. The flock symbolizes how we depend on family, friends, health-care workers and the community during times of need. The origami shapes reference the “hands-on effort, skill and attention involved in supporting each other.” (Nicole Garn/980 CJME)
Barreno said he hopes everyone can enjoy the space and the artworks that tell different stories.
He said the birds depicted in piece called Messages of Love carry messages of prayer and hope.
“We’re always hoping for the best for our friends and loved ones,” he explained. “So when we see birds in the sky, that’s when we are like elevating prayer or wishing the best for us and for our friends, for our family.”
The origami birds represent the precision that health-care workers demonstrate every day when they’re at work.
“It’s paying respect and honour to all the workers who are always here for the patients and the staff, and it’s always making sure that the hospital is running well for the community,” he explained.
Jamie Reynolds is an Indigenous artist and educator from Pasqua First Nation. She has spent the last decade in the arts community, teaching, creating, learning and more. Her work often features a blend of abstract and realism.
Geanna Dunbar’s mural is called Rooted. Dunbar is a Cree-Métis artist from Regina, and her piece shows an underground root system which symbolizes resilience, growth and strength. A fox and her babies represent a safe, nurturing home where love and care help us grow. A separate burrow shows a family of mice and represents how everyone’s path is different, but the community is still important. (Nicole Garn/980 CJME)
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