'Project Sunshine' Brightens OhioHealth Grady Memorial Hospital

Walking through OhioHealth Grady Memorial Hospital, patients and visitors are met with colorful artwork hanging on the walls. Among them is a sunflower made of acrylic paint, crushed glass and beads, created by Karen Aronhalt, a former nurse whose bond with the hospital spans a lifetime.

“I was born here in 1954, and I started working here in 1972 at the age of 17,” Aronhalt told Spectrum News 1 reporter Cassidy Wilson.

She dedicated 52 years of her life as a nurse at Grady Memorial Hospital before retiring. Now, through art, she continues to give back to a place she considers home.

Aronhalt’s art is part of ‘Project Sunshine,’ an initiative that brings artwork created by OhioHealth associates and physicians to the walls of six OhioHealth hospitals, including Grady Memorial. The program was designed to brighten clinical spaces and offer a sense of comfort and inspiration.

“A lot of our halls were kind of stark and empty, very clinical, and they thought, we really could brighten them up and it would be wonderful for both patients and associates,” said Kara Coates, advisor of provider and associate well-being for OhioHealth.

Project Sunshine not only transforms the hospital's atmosphere but also supports those who work tirelessly within it. 

“We know that it helps with compassion fatigue for our front-line workers. We know that it helps take that moment where you can set things aside and have that mindful well-being moment to yourself,” Coates said.

For Aronhalt, seeing her art in Grady is deeply meaningful. 

“It puts color on the walls, and I really like that patients can come through and see it and see what we do in our free time,” she said. “I’m glad that patients and visitors can come through this hallway and see all of the great things that have been done.”