By JIM FARIS
Mosaic Medical Center Maryville announced Wednesday a new partnership with Healium, described as a media and biofeedback tech company, in an effort to provide immersive virtual reality to patients in high stress treatments like oncology, maternity, and behavioral health.
Healium will provide calming virtual environments with biometric feedback made to help patients better manage their stress. Their systems visualize heartrate and brainwave activity, making interactive experiences in response.
Research has shown that Healium can reduce anxiety and improve mood in patients in as little as four minutes.
The move was funded through a $42,250 grant from Digital Health KC's Accelerate Program, focused on advancing the future of health care, particularly in rural areas.
Mosaic Maryville's COO, Dana Anderson, said in the release, "Emotional wellbeing matters. We believe immersive technologies like Healium represent an exciting new frontier in compassionate, patient centered care, and we’re grateful to Digital Health KC for believing that technology advancements like Healium also belong in rural health care."