Photo of two women — Savannah Parks and Rebecca Castro

Care Closet expands patient services to all four campuses

September 22, 2023 • 8:28 a.m. by Margaret Battistelli Gardner

The Care Closet on the Galveston Campus has been providing basic needs to patients and their families since 2019. And now, the programs are available at the League City, Clear Lake and Angleton Danbury campuses, as well. The CLC Care Closet was installed in May 2022 and LCC’s in June 2022. ADC’s Care Closet opened for business early this month.

"We have expanded to all campuses, as we recognized a need in all four communities," Social Work Manager Rebecca Castro said. "People usually come to the hospital unexpectedly, and the CC offers emergency items to address basic needs, so patients and family members can focus on their medical care.

"Using two generous donations from the President’s Cabinet and on-going donations from staff, students and our communities, UTMB can provide more than Best Care," she said.

The program is a true labor of love for Castro and Patient Resource Specialist Savannah Parks.

The Care Closet was a collaboration between Castro and Parks, who came to separate realizations in the Emergency Room and Jennie Sealy Hospital, seeing family members hungry but unable to afford food at the gift shop or cafeteria, wearing the same clothes for the last week/washing them in the sink, etc., stressed and worried about their loved ones but also trying to address their own needs to be better caregivers.

Parks shared some recent examples, including that of a patient who lived in League City, hundreds of miles away from her childhood home, “a spit in the road” in small town Alabama, according to her father.

"She started vaping and her lungs could no longer breathe for her," Parks said. "When her parents learned she was critically ill, they borrowed money to travel, staying in her hospital room and making do with donations of food from nurses. The Care Closet was 'a blessing,' providing free food, soap, shampoo and clothing for their three-week stay."

Then there's the patient who recently was released from prison and staying with his mother.

"When he started coughing, she told him not to return until he knew he didn’t have COVID-19." Parks said. "He stayed in a motel for two weeks, but he had no money for food or clothing. Volunteers from The Care Closet brought several bags of food, toothbrush, toothpaste and clothes that lasted throughout the quarantine period."

And the patient and his family from East Texas who were here for a kidney transplant.

"He had been on the list for five years," she said. "They were called in the middle of the night and told to get to UTMB immediately for the awaited transplant. After leaving in such a hurry, they realized they had not packed many of the essentials they would need for the extended stay and most of their funds were being used for an extended-stay hotel. Staff were able to access The Care Closet to obtain clothing and hygiene products they needed, which provided some relief during such a stressful time."

The Care Closet on the Galveston Campus is in room 1.300 in the corridor between John Sealy and the UTMB Health Clinics. The League City Campus Care Closet is in room 2.838, near the second-floor cafeteria. The Clear Lake Campus Care Closet is on the eighth floor next door to the family waiting room, and Angleton Danbury's is in room 1.335 next to the Information Desk in the hospital entrance lobby.

Details on how to the access The Care Closet at each campus are listed on the internal facing website. Care Closet items are not just utilized for hospital patients and families; they can be provided to patients in the clinics as well, if needs have been identified by providers or staff.

"The Care Closet program has been referred to as a ‘helpful resource,' a ‘blessing,' 'much needed’ and many other euphemisms for a program that serves patients and families in some of their darkest days," Parks said. "Galveston’s Care Closet has served over 1,000 patients and families since its inception in late 2019. The second most used would be CLC and then LCC.

Inventory for all The Care Closets has mainly been maintained through donations from UTMB’s staff and students as well as community organizations such as Galveston West Beach Lions Club, Lone Star 4H Club and Texas A&M AgriLife Extension," according to Parks.

"The Care Closet is a special program that addresses social determinants of health for patients and their families," she said. "Rebecca and I have enjoyed creating and expanding the program and are thankful for the regional campus leadership and champions that have believed in the cause and stepped up to run their closet.

"We know that the UTMB family will continue to support the program and we encourage anyone wanting to donate or take on a donation project for their clinic or department to check out the website to learn more about what types of items are needed and how to donate," she added. "Also, if you have any community organizations that might be interested in becoming a sponsor, please have them reach out to sjparks@utmb.edu."