AT TRINITAS "WE
HONOR VETERANS"
by Guest blogger, Johanna Thomas
by Guest blogger, Johanna Thomas
November is the unofficial start to the holiday
season. Some get into the spirit of the
holidays immediately after Halloween.
Others dislike that Thanksgiving is almost always overlooked. Facebook is full of friendly battles over
when it’s appropriate to start decorating for the season. On November 1st? Before
Thanksgiving? After Thanksgiving? Most of us might never agree on the best
time to start the celebrations.
What all of us can agree on is that November is also
the month were we celebrate and give thanks to our Veterans. Every year on November 11th we
remember to give our thanks and show our appreciation to all of the sacrifices
veterans have made for our freedom. Here
at Trinitas Regional Medical Center I am proud to say that we do not wait until
Veterans Day to honor our veterans. With
the collaboration of Trinitas’ Palliative Care and the Hospital Elder Life
Program, the “We Honor Veterans” program (http://www.wehonorveterans.org/) was implemented to honor and thank those
hospitalized patients who served in the military.
Since we started the recognition program we
have honored over 45 veterans (and families) from all branches of service. Patients who are identified as a veteran get
a personalized certificate of appreciation, a thank you card, and an American
flag. The “We Honor Veterans” program at
Trinitas Regional Medical Center has honored veterans from WWII, Korean War,
Vietnam, and Peacekeeping.
I felt
grateful to shake the hand of a patient who was a member of the Borinqueneers, a
Puerto Rican regiment of the US Army (http://www.borinqueneers.org/). We were
honored to be in the presence of one of the original Tuskegee Airmen, the first
African-American military pilots! As the
staff presented him with his recognition certificate he told us several stories
about the hardships and discrimination black pilots endured during their service.
Another moving story came from a family whose
estranged father had served in Vietnam.
The Social Work Team at Trinitas was able to locate the adult children
and present them with their father’s certificate days before their father
died. Another patient thanked us through
tears and said that no one had ever done that for him.
Several of the veterans we have recognized during
their hospital stay have struggled with addictions, PTSD, and depression to
name a few. During their
hospitalization, our goal is to acknowledge their sacrifice to our country and
to assist them and their families with any support services we can
provide. Our true democracy was and
continues to be possible because of the brave men and women who fought for it. At TRMC, with our most humble and sincere
gratitude, we are proud to be a part of a team that recognizes and acknowledges
the sacrifices made by our veterans and their families.
Veterans can be honored any day of the year, not just on Veterans Day.
For
more ways to support/honor veterans visit:
#trinitasregionalmedicalcenter
#TRMC #wehonorveterans #veterans #veteransday
