Revealing Quality of Supportive Healing Environments in Interior Design: Recovered COVID-19 Patients’ Level of Satisfaction in Isolation Facility Design

A supportive healing environment is defined as a nurturing and therapeutic setting (Sakallaris et al., 2015). This study aimed to determine the quality of supportive healing environments in the interior design of isolation facilities based on the level of satisfaction of recovered COVID-19 patients. The following objectives guided the study; to determine the quality of supportive healing environments in the interior design of isolation facilities in terms of stimulating design features, complexity and coherence, social support enhancement, and connection to nature. Also, it aimed to determine if there is a significant difference in the quality of supportive healing environments in terms of the said four categories when each is grouped according to sex, age group, and type of facility. The study employed a descriptive and comparative research design where researcher-made survey questionnaires were given to 101 legal-aged participants via snowball sampling technique in Bacolod City. The findings revealed that the quality of stimulating design features, complexity, coherence, and social support enhancement all received a moderate level of satisfaction with mean scores of 3.27, 3.4, and 2.74 respectively, whereas the quality of connection to nature received a high level of satisfaction with a mean score of 3.53. Mann-Whitney U test revealed no significant difference in the quality of supportive healing environments in terms of the mentioned four categories in the interior design of isolation facilities based on the level of satisfaction of recovered COVID-19 patients when grouped according to sex, age group, and type of facility

Health and environmental assessment of the impact of mine tailings spillage in the Philippines

In March, 1997, a municipal health officer in a small island south of Manila requested for the conduct of a health assessment of the community because of the incidence of hematological related illnesses/mortality among residents of along the coastal area of a mining community. 85 deaths were recorded from 1975-1996. Leukemia was diagnosed in 62 (72.94%) patients, 16 (18.82%) were aplastic anemia, 4 (4.71%) were blood dyscrasia and 3 (3.53%) other blood related ailments. Health and environmental assessment activities were conducted by a composite team from the DOH and the UP-National Poisons Control and Information Service Health examinations included a review of systems, complete medical history, physical and neurologic evaluations and biologic examinations. Initial health examination showed 7 schoolchildren out of 108 volunteer subjects from 6 barangays have elevated blood lead levels exceeding the WHO recommended limits of 10 ug/dl. Mean blood lead levels = 15.86 ug/dl (Range: 13-19 ug/dl). Electromyograph and nerve conduction velocity (EMG-NCV) results were compatible with peripheral axonal degeneration in 6 children and beginning damage in 1 child. Detoxification therapy was done for a 19 day course using dimercaptosuccinic acid (DMSA). In the succeeding health assessment, 59/59 schoolchildren from 3 barangays namely were found to have elevated blood lead levels. Range: 10-18 ug/dl. 43/64 (67.18%) have anemia. Soil samples collected 7 km from the causeway and the causeway itself showed three (3) sites with lead. cadmium, copper and zinc levels were found in all sampling sites. Ambient air monitoring results showed lead values exceeding the recommended US-EPA limits