PPMC truly made it “the most wonderful time of the year” by keeping hospital holiday traditions alive and spreading the spirit of the season with the local community.
The annual Holiday Meal is a long-standing tradition that brings staff together to celebrate the dedication and commitment of their colleagues. While staff are encouraged to BE compassionate, present, empowered, accountable, and collaborative all year round, “merry and bright” were added to list during this special time of year. Each shift had the opportunity to sample the delicious spread served by hospital leadership, enjoy a moment of peace (and a few pieces of pie...), and reflect on the profound impact they make on patients, families, and team members.
The annual Children’s Holiday Party has been spreading holiday cheer for more than 15 years. PPMC again joined forces with the West Powelton Concerned Community Council (with a generous sponsorship from BBLM Architects) to provide 125 children with a delicious breakfast and some sweet treats, as well as performances by the West Powelton Drummers, Peppa Pig, a balloon artist, and the man of the hour — Santa Claus himself! Santa distributed gifts to all, bringing some early Christmas joy to underserved families in the West Philadelphia area.
Departments across the hospital also took the opportunity to put together their own community outreach projects. Some teamed up with the People’s Emergency Center to “adopt” families and check off their wish lists with “Boxes of Joy,” while others, like the MICU team, collected clothing and gifts for a patient’s family affected by a fire.
To ease the stresses of the season and bring hope and happiness to patients being treated at the Abramson Cancer Center at PPMC, the ACC staff also partnered with the Kathleen M. Rotz Lung Cancer Research Fund and with generous donors throughout the community to surprise underserved lung cancer patients and their families with gift cards and stacks of presents.
Read more about the 3rd Annual “Believe in the Magic of Santa” gift distribution in next month’s issue of the Presby Bulletin!