Over the past month, nurses and colleagues throughout the Department of Nursing organized ways to brighten the holidays for patients and communities with a variety of collections, drives and thoughtful gestures.

Perioperative and Procedural Areas: Supporting Rosie’s Place

A vehicle trunk bursting with donated items bound for Rosie’s Place reflects the generosity and compassion of staff from the Brigham’s Perioperative and Procedural areas, who recently participated in a friendly competition to see which team could gather the largest collection of donations for the South End women’s shelter.

The PACU team was named the champion of the holiday giving effort, which was hosted by the Periprocedural Practice Committee and led by committee member Lisa LaRiviere, BSN, RN.

Clinical Documentation Integrity Nurses Support Two Local Organizations

The Clinical Documentation Integrity nursing team within the Department of Quality and Safety at the Brigham and Brigham and Women’s Faulkner Hospital has organized sock drives for the Friends of Boston’s Homeless for many years. This year, the team collected donations in support of the Friends of Boston’s Homeless, as well as for Cradles to Crayons in Boston.

“It’s wonderful to be able to support the missions of these two organizations,” shared Cheryl Codner, BSN, MPH, RN, CCDS, assistant director.

Shapiro 9/10 Organizes Clothing and Food Drives and Card-Making Event

The Medical Cardiology nursing team on Shapiro 9/10 hosted two drives and a special event to get into the holiday giving spirit.

The team collected seven large bags of winter coats and clothing to support Cradles to Crayons and held a food drive to address rising food insecurity in Antigua. The team also organized an event for staff to make cards to send to hospitalized children.

Cynthia Jarvis, patient care associate, shared: “THANK YOU to all who took the time to donate food and clothes to help those in need. Your generosity is greatly appreciated. Kindness is like a shining light that shines through the darkest nights and energizes one soul who suffers the most.”

Burn, Trauma and Surgical ICU Supports Patient’s Family

The Nursing Practice Council on Braunwald Tower 8CD organized an opportunity for staff to provide gifts to the spouse and children of a patient who passed away on the unit. The team collected a gift card and bag full of gifts for the children.

Natasha Cacciatore, BSN, RN, noted that the patient’s spouse was “overwhelmed by the thoughtfulness and generosity, and especially for the care they received from everyone. 8CD did an amazing thing for a very deserving family.”

Nursing and Patient Care Services Collect Gifts for Local Families

For the past 12-plus years, the departments of Nursing and Patient Care Services have sponsored families of students at the nearby Tobin Elementary School in Mission Hill during the holidays. This year, the school identified five families in need of assistance. The Brigham team provided them with many items on their lists, including a child’s desk, winter jackets, basic clothing, toys, a vacuum, a mattress, pots and pans and other items.

“In our history of supporting the families selected by the Tobin School, we have likely helped up to 48 families with their needs,” shared Monique Terrio, MSN, MBA, RN, NE-BC, nurse administrator, who was among leaders of this year’s effort.

Medicine Units Gift Goody Bags to Patients

The Unit-based Practice Council for Braunwald Tower 12A, 14AB and 15A Medicine units put together gift bags and delivered them to their patients’ rooms on Christmas Day. The bags included nonskid socks, scrunchies, lip balm, candy canes, gum, pencils, coloring sheets and OT toys.

“Patients really enjoyed opening their goody bags on Christmas morning,” shared Jennifer Cartright, MSN, RN, nursing director.

Faulkner Community Physicians (FCP) Hyde Park and West Roxbury Support Community Endeavors Year-Round

Over the past several years, the FCP staff have volunteered with their community and MGB community partners in many endeavors. This includes assisting in distributing Thanksgiving and Christmas turkey dinners through the generosity of the annual Mary Mulvey Jacobson Families in Need Program.

This Christmas and for the past seven years, the FCP staff also joyfully “adopted” a Manning School family and provided generous and thoughtful gifts to brighten Christmas day for the parents and children.

The FCP care team also volunteers with the Brigham Health Community Health van and assists in the distribution of healthy meals and other necessities to those in need.

“The care teams at FCP remain committed to the mission of MBG, and we are honored to participate in community endeavors that improve the lives of individuals from our diverse communities,” shared Nancy Matthews, MSN, RN, nursing manager.

Did your unit or team participate in a holiday giving effort? If so, please feel free to share it by submitting a comment below.