Massachusetts General Hospital and Community Partners to Unveil Trauma-Informed Family Room, Featuring Survivor-Created Mural

Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), in collaboration with the Louis D. Brown Peace Institute (Peace Institute) and Emerson College, announced the completion of the remodeled acute family room in its Emergency Department. This transformation — including community-inspired art, comfortable furniture, and warmer lighting — focuses on the lived experiences of gun violence survivors. The remodel will also include practical resources for families, such as grief and burial guides and a children’s entertainment area, creating a more healing environment for those in crisis.

“This room represents a transformational outcome of the three-year collaboration between a healthcare institution, an institution of higher learning and members of the survivors of homicide victims. The result is a space designed by all who use it — whether you are delivering news to a family or you are the family receiving it,” said Peter Masiakos, MD, co-director of MGH’s Gun Violence Prevention Center.

A key feature of the remodeled acute family room is a powerful and moving mural designed by artist Ruth Henry of the Peace Institute and painted by survivors of gun violence. This artwork serves as a testament to the resilience and strength of those affected by violence and will provide a focal point for reflection and healing within the space. The remodeling of the acute family room and the installation of the mural are tangible steps towards providing more sensitive and trauma-informed care within the hospital setting.

The remodeling project is a direct result of the commitment of each institution to change the narratives around gun violence by listening to and uplifting the stories of those most impacted. The Transforming Narratives of Gun Violence (TNGV) initiative, launched in December 2021, facilitated community members and medical experts working alongside students to co-create art and media that disrupts harmful narratives of gun violence. This produced various multimedia projects, including films, news stories, interactive experiences, and performances. These creative works have been incorporated into training programs and policy discussions to drive awareness and change.

“The inclusion of survivor voices and artistic expression in the hospital environment directly reflects our mission to serve as a center of healing, teaching and learning for families impacted by murder, trauma, grief, and loss,” said Chaplain Clementina Chéry, President/CEO of the Peace Institute. “I am proud that this represents a new model for healing-centered design, and we are hoping to replicate this model in hospitals across our city and Commonwealth.”

The need for a more supportive environment in hospital settings for families experiencing the trauma of gun violence was highlighted in the Quiet Rooms documentary, produced by the Engagement Lab at Emerson College in conjunction with the TNGV initiative. In the documentary, survivors shared their experiences of how cold and unwelcoming family consultation rooms could be, underscoring the urgent need for spaces that offer comfort and dignity. The film was circulated widely within Boston communities with screenings in courthouses, Boston City Hall, and a prison.

Inspired by Quiet Rooms, Emerson College visual and media arts professor Jesse Epstein and her students documented the remodel in a follow-up film, Remodel. The film features interviews with key voices, including TNGV leaders and survivors—some of whom appeared in the original Quiet Rooms film. It also captures meetings where survivors shared insights on the resources that would have been most valuable during their time in similar emergency department rooms across Boston, as well as the collaborative process of designing a memorial mural at the college.

“When the communities most directly impacted by violence are direct collaborators in telling stories of the community impact of violence, then institutions, like hospitals and governments, are moved to make changes,” said Professor Eric Gordon, former director of the Engagement Lab and instructor of the course that produced the documentary. Gordon is now inaugural director of the Center on Media Innovation for Social Impact at Boston University.

“I hope this collaboration will inspire other hospital systems to recognize the profound emotional impact that gun violence takes on the victims’ families and undertake similar efforts to create dedicated, trauma-informed spaces in their own emergency departments and across other hospital locations,” said Masiakos. “Recognizing that gun violence creates profound emotional trauma beyond physical wounds, we must better support grieving families and foster healing in the face of this public health crisis.”