Staff put spirit in action when bride stuck in ED
'People stayed over to help'
During every meeting of the Toccare Lo Spirito ("To Touch the Spirit") committee at Mt. Graham Regional Medical Center in Safford, AZ, time is set aside for a "Toccare moment" — or two — says Julie Johnson, CHAM, director of health information management (HIM) and communications and HIPAA privacy officer.
That is when members are invited to relate an event they've participated in or witnessed that exemplifies the movement's philosophy, Johnson adds.
A recent Toccare moment involved volunteers from throughout the facility, she recalls, and made use of some skills not normally required in a hospital setting.
"The emergency department nurse manager made a call and said, 'We've got a young woman down here who's about to get married. Can anybody help?'"
It turned out the bride-to-be had come to the ED for treatment early that morning and wasn't ready to be discharged until just before her 5 p.m. wedding. As a result, Johnson says, the young woman had missed all her pre-wedding appointments.
The distress signal circulated throughout the hospital: "Who does hair? Does anyone have any makeup or nail polish? Who has time to help?"
"We didn't get the call until late in the day," she notes. "Some people stayed after their shift was over to help."
While ED nurses got the patient ready to be discharged, a scanning supervisor styled the young woman's hair and a receptionist in the HIM department did her nails, Johnson says. "She looked beautiful. We took a picture of her."
Although the bride wasn't able to dance, she did make it through her wedding, and called later to thank her helpers, Johnson adds. "She said, 'Do you guys do this all the time?'"
every meeting of the Toccare Lo Spirito ("To Touch the Spirit") committee ... time is set aside for a "Toccare moment" - or two ...You have reached your article limit for the month. Subscribe now to access this article plus other member-only content.
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