Back in February, employees across the health system honored Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy of civic engagement, equality, and compassion with a day of service and reflection. But for PPMC’s Cultural Competence Committee, one day simply wasn’t enough. The committee organizes a hospital-wide toiletry drive each year to provide underserved Behavioral Health patients with basic toiletries that will ease the transition after discharge. In honor of the drive’s fifth year, and to keep the spirit of giving going strong, the committee decided to extend the collection well past MLK Day.
“Dr. King once said, ‘Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, “What are you doing for others?”’ and the Cultural Competence Committee is dedicated to embodying that quote,” said Steven Cabrera, BSN, RN, a clinical nurse in the Neuro-Intensive and Progressive Care Unit and member of the committee. “For us, the question isn’t how we can advocate for or represent patients in need, but how we can take direct action and assist them.”
Staff were encouraged to donate shampoo, soap, shaving cream, and deodorant, as well as packs of new socks, travel kits, and feminine hygiene products – an often forgotten necessity. As always, PPMC rose to the occasion, with more than 320 individual items being collected.
“When our Behavioral Health patients leave PPMC, we want to help them by providing those necessities that they may not have access to or they may not be able to afford,” Cabrera said. “It’s easy to take these basic items for granted, but they truly help patients to feel more like themselves and like they have a good foundation to get back on track.”
Stay tuned for more Cultural Competence Committee opportunities, including an International Cooking Competition during Nurses’ Week in May!