Young patients, families and staff of One Brooklyn Health at Brookdale Hospital in Brownsville gathered Thursday morning to paint a new Snoopy mural set to decorate the hospital's walls.
Brookdale is one of seventy hospitals worldwide gifted the Snoopy mural to commemorate the 70th anniversary of Charles Schulz's iconic cartoon this October. Part of the "Take Care With Peanuts" initiative, Thursday's event was a joint effort between the hospital, Peanuts Worldwide and the Foundation for Hospital Art.
Chair of Pediatrics at Brookdale Hospital Dr. Kusum Viswanathan said coming together to work on the mural was "very empowering to our patients," who would now be able to see their own work on the walls.
The paint-by-numbers mural was divided into six canvases, allowing the children to take charge of the artistic process. At one panel, a young girl put the finishing touches on Snoopy's best friend Woodstock, as her mother watched on proudly. Across the room, a male doctor joked about quitting the medical field to pursue a career in art. The relaxed atmosphere in the room seemed to provide a much needed respite for the members of the pediatric ward.
"Given the times we are in, bringing everybody together to do something that's fun like this is really great," Brookdale Hospital's One Brooklyn Health System COO Dominick Stanzione said.
He added being selected as the lone New York City representative for the mural also gave the hospital a sense of pride.
Peanuts Worldwide Executive Vice President Roz Nowicki said the result was thrilling. "At a time when we all need hope and humor, we believe [Charles Schulz] would be delighted to know that his work is bringing that both to adults and children across the globe."
Once finished, the six panels will be assembled on the third floor pediatric wing of the hospital, where it will remain as a permanent gift.
