This unit has been doing amazing things over the past year for our patients here at MPNB as well for our community. Under Donna Washburn's leadership, her Unit Based Council decided they wanted to do some team building as well as give back to our community. November 2018 the 2S dayshift and nightshift had a competition to see which shift could raise the most food donations. At the end of the month, the team had donated over 800 items to donate to a local food shelter in Pasco that serves the homeless. In December of 2018, they selected the SPCA to sponsor and collected 1,000 items for the local shelter in Pasco ranging from dog food, toys, bedding.
Their generosity did not stop there, as a matter of fact, they were just getting started. In February, the team decided to give our patients in the hospital Valentine's cards. We had patients in tears as they had not received a Valentine in 40+ years! They also donated 65 boxes of Valentine treats to our pediatric patients on our psychiatric units at MP, SJH, and the MPNB recovery center-dressed in full superhero costumes!! In March one of their team members started what is now referred to as the concierge cart that is stocked with snacks, treats, coffee carafe, and papers that the team rolls through the unit every afternoon offering goodies to patients and to their visitors. These carts have now been implemented on every unit in the hospital!
In April, the team created Easter baskets for all patients in the hospital, taking into consideration our diabetic patients, they purchased sugar-free candy. In May they assembled baskets, cards, flowers, balloons for all the mom's under our care on their special day. By Father's day, the 2S spirit had caught on and the entire hospital gave our cards and goodies to our dads. The team had also donated a popcorn machine to Metropolitan Ministries in April and began a beautiful relationship with that organization that led to a collection of 509lbs of food that they collected and delivered in November! Metropolitan Ministries serves all the homeless shelters in Pasco so were best suited to distribute to the area of greatest need.
The generosity of this team is simply amazing! These things have all been done by the team on 2S giving from their hearts and their own pockets! The teamwork on this unit has risen to new heights and I have no doubt they will accomplish whatever they set their sights on! The generous and compassionate nature of Donna and this team has spread throughout MPNB! I could not be proud of the 2S Tele/Stroke team here at MPNB.
As you review the criteria: teams must be led by a nurse or group of nurses-check! Teams must be comprised of 2 or more individuals-Check! Team members must exemplify your organization's values and embody your mission-BIG CHECK (all of this is also humanity at work)! Team members are role models of collaboration and teamwork that make a difference in the lives of pts, families, employees, the community-CHECK, CHECK, CHECK! The projects that this team has accomplished this year have been a blessing to the patients and community as well as to each other. They have truly found that it is better than give than to receive and this giving nature that has taken over this unit is palpable on a daily basis. Just last week the team was seen washing the feet of a very difficult patient who had been difficult to control, this humbling act of kindness took this patient back and he was so grateful for their loving care he was moved to tears! So have the activities of this unit made a difference and changed outcomes-CHECK-on a daily basis!!