Sharing is Caring: Pediatric/PICU staff provide food for patient families in need

Taking care of UTMB’s youngest patients is always the No. 1 priority for nurses in the Pediatric and Pediatric Intensive Care Units at John Sealy Hospital. But the nursing staff also pays close attention to the needs of patients’ families who spend hours, days and sometimes longer at their loved ones’ bedside.

Until recently, Juanita Norton, Pedi/PICU assistant nurse manager, and her staff observed parents and siblings of patients going without food for long periods of time because they didn’t have access to or the resources to buy a meal.

“Nurses would come to me in tears because families of patients would look at them with so much need and there wasn’t much we could do,” said Norton. “Many times, we would give them money out of our own pockets to buy $5 trays from the cafeteria, but it was heartbreaking to say ‘Sorry, we can feed your child who’s been admitted to the hospital, but we can’t feed you.’”

Norton and the other nurses in her unit brainstormed and came up with the “Sharing is Caring” program just before the holidays last year. Pediatric Health Unit Coordinator Liz Kiamar helped secure an initial large donation of individually sized food items such as ramen noodle bowls and cracker packs to fill the cabinet shelves of a break room adjacent to the patient rooms.

“Now, when patients and families arrive in our unit, we let them know that food is available in the break room if they need it,” said Kiamar. “It really takes the stress off both the staff and the parents of patients. They don’t have to worry about feeding themselves and their other children and can focus on their son or daughter who is in the hospital.”

Norton said families have been very appreciative — and since the food is self-serve, people don’t have to feel embarrassed asking for something to eat.

“There is a mother who comes here every week with her daughter, who has cancer. Sometimes, the mother is able to purchase food for herself, but other times she isn’t able to get anything, so she will go to the cabinet and see what we have available. She is always so thankful to have this as an option.”

The food items are not purchased by UTMB or provided as part of a family’s stay at the hospital; rather, they are donations from staff, friends of the Pediatric Unit, and other patient families who want to help those in need. Employees try to keep the shelves stocked with individually packaged items that have an expiration date – ramen noodle cups, individual servings of macaroni and cheese and cracker packs are popular items.

“Everybody puts in a little bit here and there — our staff will pick up a few extra items when they are at the grocery store to donate,” said Norton. “Having a child in the hospital is never easy, so we are happy to help in some small way.”