An artist’s rendering of the new 46-unit Hospital Hospitality House. VUMC nursing staff and the School of Nursing have launched a campaign to raise $30,000 to fund a room in the new facility.
Nursing staff to fund room in new Hospitality House
As part of Nursing Week celebration activities, Marilyn Dubree, RN, director of patient care services and chief nursing officer, announced plans to launch a $30,000 campaign to raise money to fund a room in the new 46-unit Hospital Hospitality House.
Vanderbilt University Medical Center nursing staff will raise the money to fund a private guestroom in the $2.5 million facility that will serve transplant and other patients and their families.
Hospital Hospitality House is building, with support of the Transplant Center, a new four-level building and supporting renovation and expansion of the existing structure located on Reidhurst Avenue to increase the availability of rooms and services for patients throughout Middle Tennessee.
“As nurses, we see from a unique and intimate perspective the impact that hospitalization has on patients and families,” said Dubree. “We see eyes filled with exhaustion and fear. We see family members sleeping in waiting room chairs, eating from vending machines, afraid to leave and far from home with no place to go.
“I can’t think of a better way for VUMC nurses to support our patients than to contribute to this effort.”
The new facility, expected to be completed by late summer 2002, will serve families of patients ages 12 and older. Housing will consist of private rooms and suites. By the end of construction, capacity will increase by 50 percent. Kitchen, dining, laundry and lounging facilities will also be renovated. Families will be able to take advantage of the “day use” feature of the facility that provides the use of on-site services at no charge.
Dubree, along with Sharon Adkins, MSN, RN, Center for Parish Nursing and Health Ministries at Vanderbilt, have worked to develop the campaign as a way for nurses to honor their patients and families.
“This is a wonderful opportunity for our nurses to extend their caring beyond the hospital walls,” Adkins said. “There is great enthusiasm surrounding this project. We, as a nursing community, have never done anything like this before. It’s a great way to involve all nurses in the hospital, clinics and School of Nursing.”
The nursing campaign is expected to be completed by the end of the year, Adkins said. A plaque will be placed on the door acknowledging the nursing staff’s gift.
“This is a terrific contribution from our nurses,” said Dr. C. Wright Pinson, director of the collaborative campaign with the Hospital Hospitality House, professor of Surgery and surgical director of the Transplant Center.
“It further demonstrates their caring for and commitment to our patients,” he said. “We are very grateful.”
To date, the capital campaign has pledges of more than $1.5 million.