In The Wizard of Oz, Dorothy rises above multiple challenges to find her way back to Kansas. But she doesn’t do it alone. Scarecrow, Tin Man and the Cowardly Lion are with her every step of the journey as she winds her way along the yellow brick road to the Emerald City. Initially strangers and from different “cultures,” they worked together as a team to get the job done, in this case, getting Dorothy home.
Much like Dorothy, our patients are trying to find their way back to health and home, and our multidisciplinary teams — both clinical and nonclinical — are working together to help them do it. And they’re doing it with compassion, the theme of this year’s Penn Medicine Experience (PMX) Week. “We are celebrating the journey of care giving,” said Tonita Chapman, senior clinical operations consultant who oversees HUP’s Penn Medicine Experience week. “This celebration symbolizes what we do — it’s about how we work together, value each other and trust each other.”
With themes of the importance of compassion and trust, PMX included a week filled with a variety of activities. The celebration kicked off on a sweet note, with senior leaders giving out chocolate at the main entrances. Monday also started a week of Yellow Brick Shout Outs by the cafeteria, where employees were urged to write a line or two along the famous yellow path recognizing what their colleagues do every day for our patients and families. “These were ‘I saw your compassion” shout outs.” Chapman said. For example, one read “Courtney is always so kind to patients. She treats them like family members.” And ACCT, a no-kill shelter in Philadelphia, brought furry friends – a litter of black kittens and three dogs -- that not only made people feel good but were up for adoption!
And new this year was a “Pet a Pony” session, with Miranda, a miniature therapy horse. Many thanks to Jacob’s Mane of Hope, a nonprofit that offers equine therapy to help people suffering from sickness, loss, and emotional stress. All of the animals — big and small — helped ease stress and bring joy to everyone who visited Miller Plaza that day.
Tattoo Tuesday had people sporting “compassionate” tattoos, and our employees’ compassion extends into our communities as well, with a sock donation drive to help those living in homeless shelters stay warm. “Of all donations homeless shelters receive, the least donated is socks,” Chapman said. And helping to keep employees warm was this year’s Penn Medicine employee giveaway: a hat and scarf!
And finally, the week ended at the Emerald City Celebration, with an incredible menu featuring a variety of food, including Kansas City barbecue brisket sliders, tornado sweet potato gnocchi, a gyro station and smoked ruby red tomato gazpacho shooters. And then came a slew of desserts! (Including one amazing Emerald City cake). And, of course, there was the ever popular pumpkin decorating contest, where creativity continues to amaze each year. This year brought in 25 entries — with Mr. and Mrs Frankenstein and Gritty making an appearance, along with a “mama” pumping pumpkin expressing pumpkin seeds for her new twin babies (this year’s winner) — all with a nod to both health care and Halloween.
“This celebration symbolizes who we are and what we do,” Chapman said. “We really do believe that there’s no place like HUP.”
For more photos, see slideshow below.