The 2020 holiday season was unlike any other, but Pennsylvania Hospital ensured it was still “the most wonderful time of the year” for patients, colleagues, and the community.
Savoring the Season
It’s a longstanding tradition for staff to come together in Café 1751 for an annual holiday meal. Served by managers and hospital leaders, the meal offers a chance for every member of the PAH team to relax with their colleagues and celebrate another year of life-changing work. Social distancing guidelines placed this year’s event on hiatus, but an outpouring of generosity from local businesses kept staff festive and full.
On Thanksgiving, jeweler Steven Singer, who recently underwent open-heart surgery at PAH, teamed up with Manny’s Restaurant and Delicatessen to drop off more than 650 individually packaged turkey dinners for front-line staff as “a tiny little hug to say thank you” for their courage, compassion, and care. A few weeks later, on Christmas day, restaurateur Stephen Starr also coordinated gourmet meal deliveries for each of Penn Medicine’s downtown hospitals, first stopping at PAH. For staff who spent long hours away from their families during the holidays and have put their patients’ needs first throughout the pandemic, these gestures served as tasty, touching reminders that their efforts are deeply appreciated by the community.
Making Spirits Bright
Teams across the hospital were determined to bring joy to their units in spite of COVID-19 precautions that changed some old traditions. The Nursing and Patient & Guest Relations teams put out a call for artwork and kind words to display in patient rooms, and staff, their families, and even their children’s classmates rose to the challenge. Hundreds of cards, decorations, and letters “brought hope to patients during a potentially challenging period of isolation,” said Annelies Wood, MSN, RNC, WHNP-BC, a nurse in the Intensive Care Nursery. “It has been truly inspiring to see everyone come together during this difficult holiday season.”
The 5 Cathcart team also filled a wall by the nurses’ station with activities they’re looking forward to post-pandemic. Rather than approaching 2021 with overwhelming resolutions, the team instead shared their hopes for widespread vaccinations, well-deserved vacations, and long-overdue haircuts. “The wall boosted morale for everyone,” said nurse manager Angela Ross, MSN, RN, OCN. “It reminded all of us that even if we’ve been navigating COVID longer than we’d hoped for, there is an end in sight.”
Serving as Santa’s Helpers
For individuals struggling with food or housing insecurity, medical or mental health crises, or financial issues exacerbated by the pandemic, the holidays can feel more stressful than special. That’s why PAH staff stepped up to provide community members with necessities to get through the season comfortably, as well as gifts that spread some holiday magic. For example, the Women’s Health Outreach Committee distributed cozy socks and Wawa gift cards to the homeless population, and they donated board games to the Neighborhood Center in Camden, which offers programming to children from low-income families.
Hall-Mercer Community Behavioral Health Center also hosted its 4th Annual Adopt-a-Family campaign. This year, 17 departments — as well as 10 staff members and their families — supported 40 families facing extreme financial burdens. The clients provided lists, and, in turn, PAH staff presented them with piles of beautifully wrapped, personalized gifts ranging from clothes to coloring books to Nintendo Switch consoles.
“The Women’s Health team, Carolyn Tobin, and Sabrina Truglio, were especially exceptional partners this year; they shopped, wrapped, and delivered the gifts across Philadelphia with us while wearing matching Christmas shirts and festive headgear,” said Patty Inacker, DSW, MBA, administrator of the Behavioral Health Service Line. “Families met us at the door with smiles and overwhelming gratitude. This program is so important to them, and we will always go the extra mile to spread joy, happiness, and love.”
