Children's Minnesota debuts hospital gowns that actually close

When Mona Rippy took her 7-year-old son for surgery, he was embarrassed to find that the only hospital gowns available were ones that exposed his backside.

As Muslims, Rippy wanted an option for her son to cover himself and dress more modestly, but it didn't exist. It's been an issue for Muslim families at Children's Minnesota as well, and staff started looking into a solution a few years ago, said Rippy, who leads Minnesota Children's Muslim Employee Resource Group.

To address this, the hospital on Tuesday announced new "modesty gowns," which will be offered to all pediatric patients as part of a new partnership with the Minnesota-based company Henna & Hijabs. These modesty gowns are among the first offered in the country for pediatric patients, the hospital says. Rippy said she and her son, who is now 11, are "thrilled" about the addition.

"Whether a patient is Muslim or not, we know that this gown will serve a purpose for so many kids and make their hospital stay a better experience," said Rippy, who also works as a change-management consultant.

Unlike typical hospital gowns, these can be closed along the back with buttons. There are also buttons along the collar for attaching a head covering. The sleeves are extended to cover about three-quarters of the patient's arms, and the gown can be reversed so the buttons are in the front. The hospital consulted with nurses, doctors and clinical staff to ensure the design still had the features required for hospital gowns, Rippy said.

They were created with Muslims in mind but will be offered to any patient who wants a gown that covers more of their body. They were designed by Henna & Hijabs founder and CEO Hilal Ibrahim, who said the need goes far beyond Muslims; she thinks many will benefit from the gowns.

"We all want to feel dignified," Ibrahim said following a news conference Tuesday about the new gowns. "It's a vulnerable space, and we want to feel covered and comfortable. To create a gown that fits exactly that and meets that need has been incredible."

Ibrahim founded her company in 2017 and in 2019 created the first-ever medical-grade hijab for health care workers. She said an adult version of the modesty gowns is still a work in progress.

Part of the need came from the fact that Children's serves a relatively large Muslim and Somali population. During a photo shoot for the gowns at Children's, one Muslim patient overheard what was going on and was so excited that she asked to model some of the gowns herself, Rippy said.

"She couldn't wait to try it on and express how she felt seen," Rippy said.

The hospital did not say how much it is spending on the new gowns.

The gowns are one step by Children's to offer more inclusive and equitable care to its patients, nearly 40% of whom are people of color. But it was also an opportunity to partner with a local minority-owned supplier, another priority for Children's, according to senior equity and inclusion consultant Allen Malicsi.

"It's a way we show up in the community, trying to figure out where we can provide a spending opportunity for businesses that are minority-owned" and also "create that economic inclusion opportunity around the Children's system," Malicsi said.

The new gowns will be offered to some of the patients in March as part of a pilot phase before rolling them out for all patients, according to a hospital news release.