Caregivers with Covenant Levelland have been brainstorming and working toward having a positive impact on the community.
Covenant Health Levelland has entered the Covenant Pathway to Excellence Program which refers to a healthcare organization, likely part of the Covenant Health system, that has achieved the “Pathway to Excellence” designation from the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), signifying a commitment to creating a positive work environment for nurses, fostering high job satisfaction, and promoting quality patient care through strong nursing practices In addition to being a part of the designation, Covenant Levelland has been looking to focus on the community.
Medical Surgical Nurse Supervisor Brooke Barrett shared that there has been a growing desire from the caregivers from Covenant Levelland to be more involved in the community as they are all part of the community.
“This year we created a new committee here at the hospital and it is called Caregivers for the Community,” said Barrett. “It consists of the caregivers here within our organization which include different departments here at the hospital, clinics and EMS. During the first quarter we brainstormed what were some of the needs that we could reach out into the community and help with.”
During those conversations, the group considered educational opportunities, interactive presentations and the possibility of a winter coat drive as the colder months are underway.
The plan for the committee is to hold a winter coat drive on Friday, December 6, at the old Central Billing Office (CBO) on the Covenant Levelland Campus from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Barrett explained there has been a number of community members who enter the ER that do not have coats, gloves, hats or any items that would keep someone warm in cold weather.
“There are times when the winter months hit and it starts getting cold and individuals just present to the facility for a warm space,” said Barrett. “We see a lot of our community members that come here who don’t have warm clothing. We are also seeing the homeless number in our community increasing. If you drive around town you see these people walking around and we wanted to find a way to help them as the winter comes.”
The committee meets every month on the third Wednesday of the month and one of the suggestions was to host a coat drive to close out 2024.
“We have reached out to all the caregivers within the organization which includes the hospital and our four clinics that are on campus and asked anyone to donate new and just slightly used warm items,” said Barrett.
Those could include blankets, coats, hats, toboggans, gloves, socks, sweatpants or any item that could provide warmth.
“The committee has quite a few members but there’s really been four of us that have really focused on creating the flyers, posting it up around the clinics and getting everything together for this winter gear drive,” said Barrett.
Barrett highlighted Stephanie Bihl as one of the committee members who has taken ownership of collecting all the donation totes and making sure items are organized and ready for the event.
“She has done an excellent job of organizing, folding and going through what’s been donated,” explained Barrett. “She has also been determining if items are still in good enough shape to hand out or if things need to be washed, cleaned or ultimately thrown out.”
With billing done remotely for Covenant Health Levelland, Chief Executive Newman Wheeler suggested the use of the CBO building to host the winter gear drive.
On Wednesday, the committee members spent the morning and a portion of the afternoon cleaning out the building and moving the donated items into the space.
Community members can expect to see flyers posted around the hospital and campus clinics with information about the event along with information posted on the hospital’s social media platforms such as Facebook.
Barrett added that on the date of the event, the items are free to the community but will most likely limit individuals to three items each. That may change depending on the demand.
One reason for the decision is to keep their shelves stocked following the event.
The goal is to have items for those who may make a trip to the hospital without warm clothing through the remainder of the winter.
The committee is still taking donations from caregivers but are also taking donations from community members if anyone feels compelled to donate.
The committee asks that the items to be donated are either new or slightly used and cleaned. There are three donation bins located within the hospital.
There is one in the ER, administration and in Barrett’s office, which is by the nurses station.
Barrett shared that the likelihood of an additional winter gear drive is slim for the remainder of 2024 due to the hectic holiday season.
However, if there is a feeling another event is needed, the committee may decide to put together another winter gear event at the beginning of the new year.