Sentara Obici Hospital upgrades resting place for founder and his wife

You would have to go a long way to find a hospital where the founder and namesake are both entombed in a wall of the building. Eternal presence was written into the plan when the estate of Amedeo Obici, co-founder of Planter’s Peanuts and a wealthy philanthropist, endowed the creation of Louise Obici Memorial Hospital in Suffolk, Virginia, after his death in 1947 in memory of his late wife, Louise, who died in 1938.

Their caskets rested under the staircase of the original 1950 hospital on North Main Street. When the hospital moved to a new facility on Godwin Boulevard in 2001, the Obicis went with it. They are in a wall of the Heritage Garden, which was designed by the architects to accommodate them. It’s a quiet outdoor space with hospital walls and windows on three sides and a landscaped earthen berm as the fourth wall, and it provides a tranquil outdoor respite for patients, visitors, and staff.

The space included lush plantings and a graceful marble sculpture that was part of the Obicis’ collection. Over 25 years of use, the plantings got overgrown, the pavers grew uneven, and the berm developed a drainage issue. Hospital leaders decided that Amedeo and Louise, and users of the garden, deserved a better experience

After two months of work and a $123,000 investment in design, materials and labor, the Heritage Garden at what is now Sentara Obici Hospital is transformed. Landscaping is tidy. The plantings are more diverse. The pavers are flat and safe to navigate. Outdoor tables, some with umbrellas, are meant for eating meals in groups small or large. Visitors can relax in the comfortable chairs or on benches around the perimeter.

In an inconspicuous corner, the Obicis remain, keeping watch over a special place of healing and comfort that grew out of Amedeo’s desire to serve the community that made his fortune, and memorialize his beloved Louise in perpetuity.

“We wanted to ensure that we had a space that the visitors could come to when they’re in the hospital and have a meal or just sit outside and get fresh air and have access back into the building,” said Brandi White, senior business analyst and project manager.

Access is a key word in this story. The door to the garden is a few steps from the hospital’s cafeteria on the ground floor. The door to the garden now has a motorized opener for the handicapped or diners with their hands full, and allows garden users to get back in. Access also involves security.

The rose garden patio, at the rear of the hospital outside the cafeteria, used to be a pass through. Visitors walked in and out at will. With current security concerns, the patio door is now locked. Only employees can swipe into the building with their badges after sitting on the patio for lunch or coming into work from a rear parking lot.

Public entry to the hospital is limited to the emergency department or the main entrance, where weapons detection systems are in place along with armed security officers, and a visitor badging system documents all visitors who enter the building. Visitors who use the upgraded garden space will already be screened for weapons and badged, so they can come back in without additional screening.

As an added measure, a six-foot metal fence is being erected atop the garden’s two-story berm to help ensure the security of the outdoor space.

“Security and the prevention of weapons is a paramount concern in hospitals,” Brandi White added. “We want to provide easy access to the garden for visitors and the patio for employees, while ensuring the safety of everyone in the building.”