When it comes to making patients feel better, the Comfort Cart Delivers

By Elissa Bass
Linda Mercuri, left, launched the B&D Care Cart, which offers patients treats during their visits to the MidState Cancer Center. Helping with the cart are Marianne Metcalfe, Mandy Carbray and Jane Edson.

Linda Mercuri has been a licensed practical nurse at MidState Medical Center for 37 years and a Meriden resident since she was born — which means she knows a lot of people, many of whom are willing to help her when she asks.

A few years ago, she lost two friends to cancer, losses that affected her so deeply she started fundraising on their behalf for a national organization. But, the general surgery floor where Mercuri works at MidState is around the corner from the Cancer Center and she couldn’t help thinking about those patients and their experience. Her efforts shifted because she wanted to have an impact closer to home.

Chatting with colleagues and watching cancer patients come and go, Mercuri had an idea for making each person’s visit — which can be long, boring and uncomfortable — a little nicer. She launched the B&D Care Cart in memory of friends Brigham Metcalf and Dan Santomero.

She outfitted a rolling cart with snacks, comfort items, beverages and other surprises and started pushing it around the Cancer Center, doling out whatever patients wanted and receiving big smiles and gratitude in return.

A deluge of donations

“It snowballed,” she says. “People wanted to support it. They wanted to help. I now have volunteers four days a week who push the cart.

One is a former patient, one the wife of my late friend, one a former nurse and one a man just looking for something to do.”

“The response has been overwhelming and so lovely,” says Jennifer M. Speeg, a medical assistant at MidState. “This small notion brings so much joy to patients facing the daunting treatment of cancer on a daily basis.”

The cart, adds Peter Leff, MD, chief of the Division of Surgery at MidState, provides “little rays of sunshine on what are usually cloudy days.”

“Our office is the staging area. Linda tirelessly collects and packages items and has amassed a group of volunteers from the hospital and oncologic community. She does all this without recognition,” Dr. Leff notes.

The B&D Care Cart now has sponsors, too, providing snacks and drinks or funds to purchase needed items.


Caregivers find a way to improve patient experience by Getting Their Hands Dirty

By Brenda Kestenbaum

The vegetable patch at Natchaug Hospital buzzes with activity and lively conversation. Young gardeners work with experienced gardeners on a bright spring day.

“I’ll water the lettuce.”

“Look how big the bok choy is getting!”

“How many seeds go in the hole?”

There is something special about the teenagers working the soil – they are Natchaug patients whose time in the garden is transformational for their mental health. Interacting with the earth, fresh air and elders is some of the best medicine.

For 15 years, Master Gardeners have volunteered at Natchaug, planting and maintaining the grounds in and around the property. Among them is Hartford Hospital nurse scientist Laura Dzurec, PhD. Every Tuesday from March through mid-November, she and others volunteer their time and knowledge and sharing the joy of gardening with young patients.

“I’m an advanced practice psych nurse. The human and environmental connection is profound,” Dr. Dzurec says. “Patients wait all week for Tuesdays for a chance to come out here.”

Volunteer gardeners help prepare, plant and harvest the garden at Natchaug Hospital.

What Dr. Dzurec and her peers see is remarkable, both aesthetically and behaviorally. Over the years, unruly beds have been weeded and transformed into lush areas. Within those gardens, serene spaces have emerged, offering patients places in which to calm and ground themselves.

She recalls an instance when staff were able to diffuse a potentially volatile situation by using the garden as a therapy tool.

“Recently, an adolescent patient was agitated and facing possible restraint. The child was offered a chance to visit the garden and when they did, there was a shift in demeanor and the child settled,” she says.

Natchaug Hospital’s Vice President of Operations Tom King agrees.

“The gardens symbolize normalcy. We have spaces for little children, adolescents and adults. They go outside, they breathe in the fresh air, they feel the sunshine. Our patients get a different experience than a traditional hospital stay, which helps them stabilize here and transition back, teaching them healthy coping skills for when they go home,” he says.

One master gardener, retired internist Ed Sawicki, MD, explains that what started as an aesthetic project has evolved to a therapeutic endeavor.

“A current priority is redesigning and planting the hospital’s courtyard,” he says. “When it’s done later this year, there will be a shade pavilion for patients, a water feature and raised beds for them to plant.”

Patients, colleagues and volunteers all experience the benefits of the gardens, Dr. Dzurec says, noting, “It’s a gift. We enjoy it immensely. We get to watch and see the impact on patients and staff alike.”


Medical Group Focuses on Patient and Experience

 By Chris Wojcik

Tiffany Le, PA, stared at her screen, seeing a flashing virtual health appointment notification for a 23-year-old car accident victim needing help. Unable to secure an immediate follow-up with his primary care provider after hospital discharge, the man reluctantly accepted an appointment with Hartford HealthCare Medical Group’s virtual health team.

Although the faces of the man and his parents were filled with fear and helplessness, Le began the appointment with a steady voice. Quickly assessing his situation, she ordered necessary scans and labs, prescribed crucial medications and provided thorough instruction. Her words and attention to detail proved an invaluable source of support.

Days passed, but she didn’t stop. She followed up persistently, ensuring every result was understood and every concern addressed. Her care transformed the family’s uncertainty into trust, bringing them peace of mind.

Get seen sooner

The medical group’s expanded virtual health team is just one of many recent enhancements to primary care. The changes listed below can help you and your family get necessary care when you need it.

These enhancements address the national issue of long wait times for primary care appointments caused by a shortage of providers, rising demand and an aging population with complex health conditions. By tackling these challenges, the medical group team aims to improve access to timely, effective healthcare for all.

Tiffany Le, PA

Care when you need it Schedule an appointment 877.707.4442

  • Entire team of healthcare providers available to you
  • Prioritized patient visits by appointment type
  • More choices for Medicare annual wellness visits
  • Expanded virtual health options
  • Comprehensive urgent/walk-in care
  • eCheck-in available for all patients
  • Enhanced scheduling capabilities in MyChart

A Growing Concern

Nurse combines love of flowers and patient care

By Libby Marino

Cauley Comerford, known for her compassionate care as a nurse on Pavilion D at MidState Medical Center, found a unique way to intertwine her passions for healthcare and flowers.

With HHC since 2019, Comerford embarked on a heartfelt mission that touches the lives of many with Petals of Hope Inc., a flower farm dedicated to producing small, vibrant bouquets for patients who find themselves without visitors.

Cauley Cornerford shares the beautiful flowers she grows with cancer patients at MidState Medical Center.

Sowing hope

“Petals of Hope is my way of telling these patients that someone cares about them,” Comerford explains.

The idea blossomed from a conversation with a despondent patient who saw no reason to fight for recovery.

“The patient said to me, ‘What’s the point? You can see I don’t have any real family, no visitors so why should I try hard to get better if no one cares what happens to me?’ Hearing that broke my heart and I knew I had to do something,” Comerford recalls.

Determined to bring a ray of sunshine to those feeling alone, she started Petals of Hope in her hometown of Wallingford. Initially, the flower farm provided arrangements to patients without visitors but has since expanded to include those entering hospice care and others who simply admire the blooms as they are brought down hospital corridors.

“I hope these flowers remind patients they are appreciated and their lives are meaningful, even during their hardest moments. When someone receives one of our bouquets, I want them to feel seen and cherished,” she says.

The farm produces a vibrant array of flowers — snapdragons, dahlias, zinnias and more — all tended by Comerford, who has been passionate about gardening since she was a child.

“Gardening has always been my happy place, a gift from my parents who taught me since I was a toddler. Now, it’s a way to spread joy to others,” she says.

While Petals of Hope currently supports its mission through the sale of surplus flowers, Comerford has bigger dreams.

“We plan to become a nonprofit so we can expand our reach. I’m also excited to start accepting public orders next season,” she reveals.

As she balances her roles as nurse and florist, Comerford’s story sends a message of hope and compassion to those who need it most. Through every petal and every stem, she is planting seeds of hope, showing that even the smallest act of kindness can make a world of difference.