Colorful Messages of Encouragement
May 12, 2020
Nurses and other staff members arriving for work at the end of March had a special surprise waiting for them at St. Mary’s: colorful messages of encouragement had been written in chalk by members of the case management team and their children and grandchildren.
“We just wanted to do something to uplift everybody and put a smile on their face,” says Jacque Nance, ACM-RN, BSN, Lead Case Manager at St. Mary’s. Other team members who participated included Case Managers Tara Haworth, ACM-RN; Kim Randall, ACM-RN; and Cynthia Bierig, ACM-RN, as well as Amy Milacek, RN, Care Transitions.
“Of course we practiced social distancing,” Nance says, noting that they broke out into groups to create their artwork. All entrances to the hospital were decorated, so no matter what door the staff went in, they would see it.
The case management team works with patients on discharge planning. As with so many other aspects of care, their department has been impacted by COVID-19, and they are handling their responsibilities by phone whenever possible to minimize exposure, says Nance. This has meant utilizing the nursing staff to assist in communication with patients when needing to coordinate any discharge needs. “We want to show that we support them and let them know that everybody’s pulling for them,” says Nance. “We’re all in it together.”