CHRISTUS Cabrini Surgery Center staff in Alexandria, Louisiana, are offering not only treats, but smiles and kind words to patients’ families from a distance. The surgery center’s protocols include having family members wait in their vehicles for the duration of patients’ procedures.
Dana Boudreaux, RN, Infection Preventionist, Vivian Byong, Business Office Associate and Patient Care Technician, and Sue Funk, Administrator, set up a process to deliver “goodies” to the waiting families. All staff members have been willing and eager to take their turn at rounding among the cars, and the gesture has proven to be a simple way to increase spirits while reassuring safety, as the staff handing out treats sanitize between vehicles.
“The feedback has been wonderful,” shared Sue. “We offer nourishment, but it also gives us a great opportunity to communicate in a real way with the family members. We seize at any opportunity to offer kindness, compassion and education to families while they are at our facility.”
In addition to the family feedback, patients too have expressed their appreciation.
“We’ve been told our rounding is helping to relieve patient anxiety,” shared Sue. “This is an added bonus we did not anticipate.”