Winchester Hospital Welcomes Local Students to Celebrate 100th Birthday

One hundred years ago, the first operation was performed at . A young woman needed gall bladder stones removed and was in a great deal of discomfort. According to her framed release form, she left the hospital “relieved.” Back then, a surgical procedure like that cost $6.00. While the times have changed, the community interest in perfecting local healthcare has not waivered.

Students from Medford, Reading, Burlington, Woburn, Wilmington and Winchester prepared projects geared toward documenting the history and improving the future of Winchester Hopsital for the School Partnership Program Fair to be presented in the Main Lobby of Winchester Hospital on Tuesday morning.

Students from created several apps for iPhone, iPads and Andriods to help patients and families find their way around the hospital campus, alert employees to which parking lots are full and a patient app for personal care.

The internal navigation app, designed by Jefferson Kim and Scott Czeck, would help patients and visitors find rooms, departments, bathrooms and any other aspect of the hospital. The app would work on the iPhone or iPad for free. “This app will help patients and vistitors with their needs inside the hospital and help them on their way,” Czeck, 13 said.

Wayfinder, an app that would lead patients find their way to certain departments of the hospital by entering on their symptoms into a database. “We designed these app ideas in our afterschool engineering club,” Jonathan Santoro, 14, said. “These apps haven’t been made yet, but they might be someday.”

Karen West, 13, showed the patient app idea, which worked in accordance to the patients bracelet code. The app would compile the patient’s medical records, meal preferences and would be equipped with multi-language translators. It would also have video chat capabilities so the patient could always be in contact with their nurse while receiving care.

Hospital CEO and president Kevin Smith addressed the students, expressing both gratitude and admiration towards their innovative ideas. “You are the next generation of leaders,” Smith said to the students. “You may be standing next to the next chief of surgery or the next head of bio research or the next chairman of the board.”  

Check back later on today for an image gallery.