Staff from PPMC’s 3 East hold bags of donated toiletries for distribution to inpatients. Wearing a pink mask is Karrima Owens, MSN, ACNS-BC, who led this year’s drive.
Staff from PPMC’s Medical Intensive Care Unit (MICU) hold donated bags of toiletries for distribution to inpatients.
For the third year, Penn Presbyterian Medical Center’s Diversity and Inclusion Committee, in collaboration with the Community Outreach Committee, held its annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Toiletry Drive. Items such as toothpaste and toothbrushes, soap, lotion, deodorant, shampoo and conditioner, hand sanitizer, and socks were collected and recently distributed in bags upon discharge to inpatients in need of these basic personal care necessities.
Karrima Owens, MSN, ACNS-BC, (wearing the pink mask) clinical nurse specialist and Stroke Program coordinator, led the effort, which resulted in 76 bags being distributed among 19 inpatient units at PPMC. She said, “I am extremely passionate about community outreach, and this drive is a way to honor and care for patients within the walls of the hospital before they transition back into the community.” Owens explained that she was motivated by a book at The King Center in Atlanta called, “It Starts with Me,” and hopes her act of service inspires others to give back as well.