MISSION VIEJO : Children’s Wing Lifts Spirits of Young Patients

Not surprisingly, 11-year-old Adrian Reyes wasn’t happy about being in the hospital, his parents said.

Adrian spent an uncomfortable night Wednesday at Mission Hospital Regional Medical Center, but he woke up the next morning in a strange and colorful place. Bright, pastel-colored wall sculptures were everywhere, a big color television and VCR was in his room, which also featured a picture window and a view of the mountains.

“When Adrian woke up, he looked around him and smiled real big,” said his father, Gerardo Reyes, sitting in a waiting room as colorful as a Fantasyland ride at Disneyland. “And he said, ‘Cool.’ ”

Thursday was the official opening for Children’s Hospital at Mission, during which more than a dozen young patients were transferred from a rented wing in the hospital to a 53-bed facility on the top floor of a newly built tower adjoining the main building.

An affiliate of Children’s Hospital of Orange County, the new medical center becomes the second largest facility for children in the county, hospital officials said.

“We wanted to create a facility that specialized in what children need,” Dr. Paul Lubinsky, chief of staff, said of the $5-million project. “This place is obviously designed for kids.”

From the wall decorations, which include 8,000 tiles hand-painted by Mission Viejo residents, to a toy-stuffed playroom staffed by a recreational therapist, children are the new center’s sole focus.

A hospital stay is usually a physically painful experience. For children, it can also be an emotionally traumatic time.

Children’s Hospital at Mission is designed to ease a child’s fears, which can result in shorter recovery times and lower mortality rates, Lubinsky said.

“When kids go into an adult hospital, it’s a different world for them,” he said. “It can be pretty scary for them. There are a lot of statistics that show how good mental attitude can lessen recovery times.”

To make it easier for parents to spend more time with their child, the hospital installed padded alcoves at each room window. Parents are encouraged to stay with their youngster as long as they like.

The hospital also has a waiting area with a kitchen and two bedrooms. There are separate conference rooms for parents and staff, where educational programs are presented.

The hospital is the largest children’s facility in South County, where about 2,000 people showed up Saturday for a pre-opening celebration.

Other community events held by the hospital have been well-attended, including the tile-painting, which drew about 850 adults and children who also made quilt squares and picture frames to decorate the hospital walls.

Many of the tile squares and quilts were adorned with handwritten thoughts and well wishes from the community, including a message written in a childlike scrawl on one tile: “You may not like your medicine, but you better takem!”