ThedaCare. PC: Fox 11 Online
APPLETON, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — It’s something you’d never think about until an emergency strikes.
When patients are rushed to the hospital for a trauma event — for example, a car crash, violent assault or even cardiac arrest — their clothing may be ruined by blood, or first responders might have to cut their clothes off to allow for immediate access and medical treatment.
But what happens if no family members or friends are available to bring the patient replacement clothing? ThedaCare says this is a situation that some patients find themselves in when they are being discharged from the hospital.
That’s why Amy Mitchell, care management social work lead at ThedaCare, led the creation of the ThedaCARES Clothing Closet. Available at all 10 ThedaCare hospitals, these closets are filled with brand-new clothing items ranging from shirts, pants and jackets to undergarments, shoes and socks.
“A lot of the locations had kind of makeshift closets that they were able to pull together because obviously, we’ve seen this gap for a while. But this is the first time that it has been a standardized ThedaCare-wide project,” Mitchell said.
It’s all about ensuring dignity, respect and comfort for patients in their time of need.
We want them to feel seen. We want them to be treated as a whole person and make sure that it’s not just their medical concerns, but we’re looking at the person as a whole person and treating their needs fully.
Mitchell said the Family Foundation at ThedaCare provided a $25,000 grant to get the closets up and running.
Although the Clothing Closet isn’t currently accepting community donations, the goal is for that to change in the future, according to Mitchell.
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