At WellSpan York Hospital, you may expect to find storage areas filled with medical supplies and equipment, but the contents of one special closet is providing patients some extra help when they leave the hospital.
The Compassionate Care Clothing Closet is a new resource to make sure patients can leave the hospital with proper clothing and feel supported.
Ashlin Voorhees, a case management social worker at WellSpan York Hospital, remembers how the closet recently helped an out-of-state truck driver who was involved in an accident.
“He needed clothing to get back home to his family. The trucking company paid for him to stay in a local hotel until his family could pick him up, but he had nothing,” said Ashlin. “The Compassionate Care Clothing Closet at least gave him something to wear to the hotel until he got home.”
Frontline case management teams at WellSpan York Hospital recognized the special opportunity to provide some patients clothing when they are discharged from the hospital. With the help of the WellSpan York Hospital Auxiliary’s small grants program, they received about $3,600 to get the closet up and running.
The Auxiliary, which will celebrate its 125th anniversary in May, continues to have a major impact at WellSpan York Hospital, raising more than $7 million in pledges and contributions since 1958.
“It is the Auxiliary’s mission to help people in the community,” said Tamara Scott, president of the WellSpan York Hospital Auxiliary. “In some situations, like trauma or homelessness, patients need some extra help when they are discharged from the hospital. This allows patients to be able to leave the hospital with what they need. We want to make sure they leave feeling supported and cared for.”
The closet is stocked with shoes, socks, pants, shirts, and underwear for women, men, and children.
“Just speaking for myself, I find the closet invaluable,” said Eric Szostak, case management social worker at WellSpan York Hospital. “When the nurses tell us what a patient needs to be discharged, we can stop by the closet and then drop the clothes off to the patients and give them the extra attention that they deserve.”
The Compassionate Care Clothing Closet is one of three closets at WellSpan York Hospital that gives extra help to patients. The Comfort Closet helps patients who may have forgot to bring items like eyeglass cases, toothpaste, or a toothbrush. The Food Pantry helps provide food to patients who may not have food to eat when they leave the hospital.
Learn more about the Wellspan York Hospital Auxiliary and other projects it helps fund here.
