Patients at Parkland to receive Valentine’s from nurses
More than 3,500 cards expected to be distributed during the 10th year of the event
Donna Richardson, DNP, RN, NEA-BC smiles as she remembers the shoeboxes she and her elementary school classmates decorated for Valentine’s Day. “We all had these boxes and then we’d put our cards in each other’s boxes and look at them when we got home,” said Parkland Health’s Chief Nurse Executive.
It’s no wonder that February 14 brings back special memories, and that Richardson fully supported the idea of delivering valentines to every patient throughout the system from Feb. 10-13. It’s the 10th year Parkland nurses have spread the love on Valentine’s Day.
Parkland’s Professional Excellence in Nursing (PEN) Council sponsors the project and provides English and Spanish-language valentines for their colleagues to personalize for their patients. Parkland’s leadership also takes part in sharing their heart by signing cards. Nurses plan to deliver more than 3,500 signed valentines to hospitalized patients and those in Parkland’s network of community-based health centers. Signing and delivering the cards, they say, is something they look forward to in the days and weeks leading up to Valentine’s Day.
“Our support goes beyond what people traditionally think of as medical care and includes the emotional needs of our patients as well. We want to take their minds off their injuries and illnesses, if even for a moment,” Richardson said. “Signing and delivering these cards not only lifts the spirits of our patients, but it’s a great morale booster for our staff.”
Cindy Wheeler, BSN, RN, NE-BC, Unit Manager III, in one of Parkland’s Mother/Baby Units agrees.
“It really means a lot to the patients to be recognized when they’re in the hospital, especially on that day when you don’t have an opportunity to go out and celebrate,” Wheeler said.
“It shows them that we care for them as a whole person not just the patient in the bed,” said Brynn Motley, RN, Senior Registered Nurse in a Mother/Baby Unit at Parkland. “They just had their baby and for them, that’s the present itself. But if we can give something to them to bring a smile to their face, it’s wonderful.”
Showing that we care with this small but tangible expression of compassion is a way for our nurses and staff to go beyond traditional medical care and relate to the emotional needs of our patients as well, according to Richardson.
“Whether they are dealing with an injury or an illness, when a patient receives a valentine from the staff caring for them, it’s an unexpected gift that we hope will brighten their day and take their minds off their physical problems for a few moments,” Richardson added.
For more information about services available at Parkland, please visit www.parklandhealth.org.
Back