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Eleanor Brockway, RN, a nurse on D-6, the Behavioral Health Unit at Munson Medical Center, was distressed to see a recently discharged patient trudging through the ice and snow without a coat. She told her team, which launched a drive to collect winter coats during December and January. In all, nearly 200 coats were collected, with 25 of these going to the Goodwill Inn in Traverse City, along with 25 each to the Emergency Department and Social Work area.
Traverse City draws a large homeless population from the surrounding area. Often, these men and women have behavioral health conditions, along with a lack of basic needs such as warm clothing.
“When our patients arrive, they are often in a mental health crisis and require staff support for self-care and to practice coping skills,” says Emily Lane-Walters, a recreational therapist who teamed with the nurses and other staff on the unit to launch the drive. “We are now able to provide them with a coat upon discharge to meet their basic needs out in the community,” she said.