Operation: Best Medicine brings hospice patients and elementary students together
Hospice of Hope/Hospice of Hope Ohio Valley has teamed up with local schools to bring smiles to Hospice's terminally ill patients.
The idea came from sending a delivery of medication that had been decorated with a simple smiley face on the bag to a patient. Much to the pharmacy team’s surprise, the patient was ecstatic just to know someone was thinking of her – so much so that she sent them a bag in return with a before and after picture of a sad face and a happy face (which now hangs on the wall of the department). According to her nurse, the patient had not smiled during any of her visits for months until she came in with her medicine that day.
From the inspiration of that day, the Hospice of Hope Pharmacy Team started decorating a few other medication bags with much of the same positive reactions from patients. Realizing that many times a personal touch or a simple gesture are just as important in making a person feel better as the drugs dispensed, Operation: Best Medicine was born.
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Over 25 elementary schools in the Hospice of Hope/Hospice of Hope Ohio Valley service area were contacted to request artwork from their students that could be used to bring cheer to the terminally ill patients receiving care. The response thus far has been overwhelmingly great, with over half the schools responding within the first day that they wanted to participate and many saying how appreciative they are to be a part of such a great community project.
The idea was then shared with the entire Hospice of Hope/Hospice of Hope Ohio Valley staff, and the excitement over Operation: Best Medicine continues to grow. The teen volunteers are getting involved by gathering materials and making designs of their own, while others have volunteered to visit the schools to drop off craft supplies or pick up finished artwork.
Whether a card to put inside a medicine bag, a picture to hang on the door or wall of a nursing home patient or some other drawing that could be used to decorate one of the two inpatient care centers (The Care Center at Kenton Pointe and the Inpatient Care Center located inside Adams County Medical Center), the creativity is being left up to the students.
Operation: Best Medicine may just be getting its start, but Hospice of Hope / Hospice of Hope Ohio Valley hopes to continue bringing joy to its patients through the gifts of a personal touch or a simple gesture – in the form of children’s drawings and art – for many years to come.