Posted: 2/10/2016
More than 2,500 cards expected to be distributed during second annual event
Nurses at Parkland are going straight for the heart and delivering Valentine’s to every patient throughout the system from Feb. 11-14. It’s the second year that Parkland nurses have spread the love at Valentine’s Day.
In 2015, nurses delivered more than 2,000 signed Valentine’s to hospitalized patients and those in Parkland’s network of community-based health centers. This year staff expects to deliver more than 2,500 cards. Signing the cards, they say, was a labor of love that shows the nurses’ compassion and care for their patients.
“Many places provide the opportunity for friends or family members to go online and order a Valentine to be delivered to a patient,” said Karen Watts, RN, NEA-BC, Parkland’s Executive Vice President and Chief Nursing Officer. “Our nurses take it to a whole other level by writing individual notes on all of the Valentine’s and then delivering them to each and every patient. It truly demonstrates the connection they feel toward their patients.”
Parkland’s Professional Excellence in Nursing (PEN) Council sponsored the project and set about providing English- and Spanish-language Valentine’s for their colleagues to personalize for their patients. Parkland’s leadership also took part in “sharing their heart” by signing cards.
“Giving is a powerful way to make someone feel special. It makes our staff feel good to put a smile on someone’s face or brighten up their day. Last year, in the outpatient setting when we handed out the Valentine’s cards, many patients were very touched and a few patients shed tears saying, ‘Parkland cares about me, oh, I didn’t know someone cared or you care about me,’” said Sobha Fuller, DNP, RN-BC, NEA-BC, PCMH CCE, Parkland’s Director of Nursing for Population Health. “Giving out Valentine’s cards to our patients is not just an emotionally powerful gesture but a relationship saying, ‘Parkland cares about you whether you are sick or healthy.’"
Mini Kannookkadan, RN, Assistant Unit Manager in Parkland’s Neuro Acute Care unit agrees.
“Valentine’s Day is a day to celebrate love. Love for life, for struggles and for everyone in your life. By giving Valentine’s Day cards to our patients, we show nurses’ ability to share love with others, especially the sick and suffering,” Kannookkadan said. “I work on a neuro unit and many of our patients have chronic conditions and are hospitalized for a long time and some don’t have a friend or family member to visit them or wish them well on Valentine’s Day. A colorful Valentine’s card can help cheer them up. For some, this is the only card they might receive.”
Parkland’s PEN Council plans to turn the Valentine’s card distribution into an annual event.