Jace Jerry Blain had connections when he was born. Allison Bain, executive assistant to Riverton Hospital's administration, is his grandma.
Caregivers from across Intermountain came together this holiday season to bring holiday cheer to patients, coworkers, and community members. Here are three examples of the many large and small acts that made a huge difference.
At Riverton Hospital, Labor and Delivery nurses wrapped newborn babies born in December in giant Christmas stockings before handing them to parents. The tradition of handing parents their baby bundled up in a Christmas stocking, if they’d like one, has been happening since the hospital opened in 2009.
“Bundling babies in stockings is a favorite holiday activity for our nurses, who look forward to bringing a little extra cheer to our new moms in December each year,” says Mildora Leerhoff, RN, Riverton Labor and Delivery nurse manager. “Families always love that little extra keepsake to take home for their little ones.”
Allison Blain, executive assistant to Riverton Hospital’s administration, is the proud grandma of one of the lucky stockinged babies born last month: Jace Jerry Blain.
Chase Petersen, MD, found a way to cheer up patients and caregivers who were in the hospital in December.
At Layton Hospital, OB/GYN and laborist Chase Petersen, MD, found a creative way to spread a little holiday cheer to patients on the labor and delivery unit at the hospital—especially for one mom that was having an especially tough stay. The patient, Rachel Fletcher, had been in the hospital for four days trying to wait until she hit the 34-week mark to avoid having a C-section. It wasn’t an easy wait.
“She had a traumatic delivery prior to this one, and had been really struggling,” says Michelle Linder, house supervisor. “She was very teary.”
Dr. Petersen decided to do something for Rachel to bring a little joy to her day and came dressed in a unique Santa Claus outfit to spark a little holiday magic.
“He did it just for her, to make her smile,” Michelle says. “It cheered her up so much. It cheered up all the labor and delivery caregivers as well after a rough couple of days.”
Rachel says she was so appreciative of Dr. Petersen going above and beyond to help make her stay a little brighter.
“He brought the Christmas spirit right into my room,” she says.
While still in his special holiday outfit, Dr. Petersen also visited the emergency department and paid a special visit to a pediatric patient who’d been waiting for a transfer.
In both instances, Michelle says Dr. Petersen knew he couldn’t do anything to hurry up their difficult situations or make them go away, but he knew how to bring them a little bit of holiday cheer and make the wait seem easier to manage.
Aubra Post, RN, helped collect Sub for Santa donations and some extra shifts to help coworkers.
At Heber Valley Hospital, Audra Post, RN, volunteered to take many extra shifts in the emergency department over the holidays to make sure some of her coworkers could get a much-needed break. And she always tries to be a positive influence on those around her.
“For Audra, the cup is always half-full,” Heber Nurse Administrator Jill Teuscher, RN, told KSL-TV. “She can see the positive, she can see the silver lining. And she just has a way of just lifting a fellow caregiver to say, ‘We can do this together.’”
Audra also volunteered to help collect Sub for Santa donations from coworkers and the community. She says the project united the staff in a common goal—to provide Christmas for other families in need.
“I do this because it’s what completes me,” she told KSL. “It’s what fills my cup.”