Moments That Matter

Vincent Campbell enjoys riding his bike into work — it’s a chance for some exercise, to get some fresh air and enjoy his surroundings before he starts his job as an environmental services floor technician for the Inpatient Rehabilitation Unit (IRU) at Hartford Hospital.

This serene daily routine came to an abrupt end last summer, however, when he got off work one day only to discover that his bike had been stolen from the hospital grounds. On that particular day, Campbell had agreed to pick up
a second shift to help cover for a colleague and was shocked to find his bike missing when it was finally time to head home.

Campbell immediately sought the help of the Safety & Security team who reviewed security footage with him to see if they could identify the culprit. But, to their chagrin, security cameras did not catch the thief in action despite showing Campbell pedaling into work and parking his bike that morning.

A little ingenuity and a lot of compassion is all it took to turn packing material that is typically thrown away into shelter for homeless people.

It started when Melissa “Missy” White, RN, and Dianne Urban, CST — colleagues in the St. Vincent’s Medical Center Operating Room and members of an OR social media page where members share personal experiences, stories and ideas — saw a post giving instructions for turning large instrument tray wrappers used in the OR into sleeping sacks.

These wrappers are normally discarded. However, they are water resistant and, therefore, can help users retain body heat and add an extra layer of protection from the elements.

When a client faced quarantine after being discharged from Natchaug Hospital, Mansfield, and had no way to get food, Angellina Martinez and Michele Kelly knew they needed to do something.

From that need grew the Natchaug Client Pantry, which offers bags of food and toiletries to people returning home after an inpatient unable to care for themselves immediately.

“Imagine coming home from a 10-day stay at a psychiatric inpatient unit and everything in your fridge is bad, and you don’t have anything in the cabinets,” said Kelly, clinical supervisor
of Natchaug’s Adult Psychiatric Inpatient Unit. “We hope we can alleviate a little bit of those stressors.”

The pair initially paid for items by themselves but fundraising efforts have kicked in to help.

“Many people are struggling to get basic needs met, whether it’s food, healthcare or connecting to programs,” Martinez said. “If we can at least fulfill the food insecurity aspect for a few days, that might help clients feel more secure in connecting with programs.”