Parkland’s staff brings holiday cheer to patients, visitors
Caroling, hand-painted ornaments and Santa visits brighten the season
Tune into any radio or TV station and you’ll surely hear a holiday standard proclaiming “there’s no place like home for the holidays.” And for most patients in Parkland Memorial Hospital the thought of spending the holiday in a hospital bed does not exactly lead to a holly jolly day.
But that’s about to change.
Parkland’s elves – aka nurses, educators, chaplains and police, among others – have been busy in Santa’s workshop getting ready for the big day, and those leading up to Dec. 25.
“No one wants to be in the hospital, especially during the holidays. That’s why our nurses and staff support goes beyond traditional medical care and includes the emotional needs of our patients as well. We want to take their minds off their physical problems, whether it’s an injury or illness, if even for a moment. And what better time for that than during the holiday season?” said Karen Watts, MSN, RN, NEA-BC, Parkland’s Executive Vice President and Chief Nursing Executive. “It’s a way to hopefully put a smile on our patients’ faces and brighten their day.”
The smiles began in early December when Support Services Call Representative Debbie Lewis-Washington continued her tradition of making stuffed bears for patients in Parkland’s GYN/Oncology departments. Using her own money and on her own time, throughout the year Lewis-Washington has been collecting bears and dressing them, including a message of hope with encouraging words or scripture on their shirts. Her work culminated in a “Bear Store,” where patients on those units were given a coupon from Lewis-Washington to redeem in the “store” and get their free gift.
Sofia Delarosa, 29, has been hospitalized since before Thanksgiving and along with being away from her infant twin daughters and two sons, ages 10 and 11, her father is battling cancer. “It’s a difficult time but we’ll make it through this,” Delarosa said as she cuddled the teddy bear she received from a caring stranger. “It feels good, it’s very special to receive this gift,” she said. “It’s lonely being separated from family, especially at the holidays.” Turning to Lewis-Washington, she said, tearful but smiling, “Thank you. I appreciate this.”
Getting away from his workshop isn’t always easy right before Christmas, but Santa managed to do just that and with the help of Child Life Specialists visited every youngster from infant to 18 years old hospitalized on Parkland’s burn, trauma and postpartum units. At each stop Santa presented gifts to brighten their day.
It’s no doubt that numerous elves throughout the Parkland system were busy, but Lead Elf – aka Brigitte Beeson, RN III in Oncology – put in countless hours in Santa’s workshop gearing up for Dec. 25. Last year, Beeson hand-painted, decorated and delivered holiday ornaments for each of the 28 oncology patients hospitalized on Christmas Day. This year, Beeson worked with her fellow RN III’s and others at Parkland to hand-decorate ornaments for every patient hospitalized on Dec. 25 – estimated at more than 900 patients.
“Decorating the ornaments actually started with my daughter when she was in high school,” Beeson recalled. “She wanted to do something for the holiday for friends and the hand-painted and hand-decorated ornaments were perfect. It just took off from there.”
In order to ensure that each hospitalized patient receives an ornament, Beeson has spent hours painting and/or priming the wooden ornaments – hundreds of them – in her garage. Lying side-by-side were angels, snowmen, reindeer, snowflakes, candy canes and Christmas tree bulbs, to name a few. With a wagon filled to the brim in tow, Beeson delivered the ornaments to her fellow elves who used stickers, glitter, felt and a myriad of other decorations or sayings to personalize each one.
“That’s what makes this even more meaningful and why it means so much to our patients, because they see we’ve taken the time to personalize each and every one,” Beeson said, adding that doing so also lifts the staff’s spirit. “It makes me happy to do this because I see that it makes our patients happy. And if I can make their stay better and give them hope, there’s nothing better.”
The gift of song also brightened the days for patients, visitors and staff thanks to the Dallas County Hospital District (DCHD) Police Department Blue Notes choir who, along with chaplains from Parkland’s Pastoral Care department, were rocking around the Christmas trees in the hospital’s main lobby and cafeteria. As their collective voices sang out holiday favorites, passersby stopped, smiled and joined in the fa-la-la-ing.
“There’s nothing that brings us all together more than music,” said DCHD Police Captain Anetta Linson, Blue Notes founder. “As the song says, ‘Oh, sing, choirs of angels’ and hearing everyone joined together in song is, well, just what the doctor ordered this holiday season.”
For more information about services available at Parkland, please visit www.parklandhospital.com.
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