A Special Quilt Made by Morton Plant Mease Nurses Celebrated National Nurses Week
CLEARWATER - Nurses use their hands every day to heal and comfort patients. The nurses at Morton Plant Mease Health Care have used their hands to make a unique gift for Lisa Johnson, Vice President of Patient Care Services, and presented it to her for National Nurses Week. Johnson oversees all of the nursing units and departments at Morton Plant Mease Health Care. The nurses designed and sewed together a patch quilt for Lisa Johnson, Vice President of Patient Care Services. Each square on the quilt represents a nursing department’s area of expertise. For instance, a heart design for the nurses who care for cardiac patients and a bone for the orthopaedics department. The respiratory care department at Morton Plant North Bay and Morton Plant Mease Information Services also made and submitted a square. Lisa Haddad and her mother Connie Halstead, Annie Miller and Barb Bass prepared the quilt for stitching. Then, Annie Miller sewed all the squares together. Finally the team put in the layers and the binding to complete the project. The quilt was presented to Johnson during a short ceremony and was on display at all four Morton Plant Mease hospitals during National Nurses Week. The idea came about when Johnson was attending a nursing conference and noticed a similar quilt, commenting on its originality. Other nurses overheard, and came up with the idea to make one for her. “I was overwhelmed by this generosity. I know it took a lot of time and effort to make this quilt. I am so proud and humbled by my team of nurses here at Morton Plant Mease,” says Johnson. From May 6-12, many hospitals honored their nurses with various activities, awards and accolades for National Nurses Week. Many activities and commencements were held for the 1,500 nurses at Morton Plant Mease Health Care including a contest for a break room makeover. One winner from each hospital received $1,000 and assistance from an interior decorator to spruce up a nursing unit break room. Also, Wear White Day encouraged nurses to pull out the old-style nurse uniforms for a day. One winner who looked the most authentic received a GPS device as a prize.
|