Check out the Tree House Gift Shop and the Sherman Perk

When the new Sherman Hospital opened on December 15, 2009, the Tree House Gift Shop at Sherman Hospital opened its doors also. And if you haven’t been in to see the shop, it’s worth stopping at the hospital to take a look.

The new gift shop is far bigger than the gift shop was at the Center Street campus—2,500 square feet—which means it can offer a greater selection of merchandise.

New products include:

• Kameleon: A new pop-in, pop-out line of fully customizable jewelry. Sherman is one of just two shops in the Fox River Valley carrying the line.
• Expanded flowers and balloon section for friends and family who need some colorful assistance toward a speedy recovery.
• Organic cotton baby clothes
• Pink Paws: very similar to Build-a-Bear. Each animal comes with stuffing material, a heart to place inside (after you’ve made a wish) and a certificate for you to fill out its information!
• The Roffle Mates & “LOL” Rollovers: One of the most popular items the gift shop carries; various cuddly stuffed animals that laugh and roll on the floor when they’re aware that they have an audience.
• Northern Exposure greeting card line and expanded Blue Mountain stationary
• A selection of crafts from talented employees and local artists
• And of course, we still offer Breadsmith Artisan Breads of St. Charles!

Grab Coffee at the Sherman Perk

The gift shop also houses the Sherman Perk, which has also expanded its selection of offerings. In addition to coffee and lattes, the Perk now carries sandwiches, scones, and an expanded selection of pastries. Also, an exciting addition to the layout, the perk has a walk-up window, so people “on-the-go” can place their order from the atrium without having to enter the gift shop!

Proceeds from the gift shop benefit the Auxiliary’s $1 million pledge to the new birthing center. When that figure is met a new (and likely family-oriented) project will emerge. The new hospital is officially open, but there are likely some things about it that you may not know. Head over to the Future of Sherman website to read up on our geothermal lake, scope out floorplans and check out our photo galleries!

Geothermal Program at Sherman is Coming Soon!

The Sherman Auxiliary is in the process of creating an educational program for middle schools in the area about geothermal energy. Our 15-acre geothermal lake on the hospital campus heats and cools the new hospital, one of only two such lakes in the country. In addition to saving an estimated $1 million per year in energy costs, the energy produced by the lake is a renewable resource that does not create greenhouse gases or pollution.

“We want to be the cornerstone of a larger community effort,” says Sharon Jakle, President of the Sherman Hospital Auxiliary. “In addition to developing an educational program about our lake, we want to work with other community organizations to educate the community about green initiatives.”

Sherman has brought volunteer Marianne Zito, retired Assistant Superintendent of Instruction at school district 54 in Schaumburg and former district Science Coordinator, on board to help create the geothermal program. In the next few months, she hopes to learn as much as she can about our lake and geothermal energy and develop lesson plans for schools in the area. To show children a real world application of this technology, local schools will also be invited to visit Sherman’s lake.

“First we want to learn more about this technology, and then visit schools to find out what questions children have about this technology,” says Marianne. “This will help us create a program that interests children, and will help us train local educators about geothermal energy in a practical setting.”

This week, Dawn Stone, Project Coordinator at Sherman, toured the manifold building and lake with Marianne and Sharon as an initial step in the creation of the new program.

Stayed tuned for more updates! In the meantime, visit thefutureofsherman.com for information on the geothermal lake and the new hospital.

8 New Photos from our Cancer Care Center Open House

On February 18th, we held our Open House for the Cancer Care Center at the new hospital. Below you’ll see a sampling of photos that were taken during the event. To view all 76 images, visit the Sherman Flickr page.

Geothermal Energy: How exactly does that lake heat and cool the hospital?

Manifold Building

You’ve heard that the new Sherman Hospital’s 15-acre lake not only provides beautiful views from the patient rooms, but it helps to heat and cool the entire hospital, saving $1 million in energy costs per year. And you know it’s a pretty big deal–it’s the largest geothermal system in Illinois and one of only 2 currently heating and cooling medical centers in the US. But you might not know the answer to the most basic question about the lake: How exactly does it work?

What is Geothermal Energy?

Pressure Gauges

Geothermal energy is energy that is derived from the temperature of the earth. The earth absorbs 50 percent of all solar energy and traps it as heat just below the frost line. Using a heat pump, this natural and renewable resource trapped below the earth’s surface is transformed into a harnessable form of energy. This energy –geothermal energy– provides buildings with a dependable, eco-friendly and economic heating and cooling system.

The tools that make it happen:

Lake Loop Pipes

• The temperature at the bottom of the lake—a constant 55 degree F in all climates. The ground absorbs almost 50% of the sun’s heat as it hits the earth’s surface. Regardless of the season, this solar energy maintains a relatively constant 55 degree temperature at the bottom of the lake, around 17-18 feet deep.
• A lake loop heat-pump system under the water, including 185 miles of pipes that are placed at the bottom of the lake to harness the energy. The pipes hold a heat-absorbing solution, and the heat pumps move heat from one place to another.
• A “manifold” building that houses over 170 pressure gauges connected to the pipes. This piping is channeled into supply and return pipes that are run to the building and fan out to individual heat pumps.
• Heat pump units housed just outside patient rooms that allow each room to be temperature controlled individually.

In the winter, the 55 degree temperature at the bottom of the lake is absorbed into a heat-absorbing fluid that constantly runs through the pipes. That heat is harnessed from the pipes through the pressure gauges, and pulled into the building. There it is concentrated and released into the building at a higher temperature. The heat is distributed through a conventional duct system as warm air. In the summer, the process is reversed–the heat from inside the hospital is pushed back down and stored in the cooler earth. Like in a refrigerator, cold air is not pushed into the hospital–rather, the heat is removed from the air.

Learn more about Sherman’s geothermal lake.