Mercy Hospital Nurses Donate Over 1,500 Uniforms to Texas Nurses Association
The nurses at Mercy Hospital recently donated over 1,500 uniforms for nurses and healthcare workers affected by Hurricane Harvey in Texas. Registered nurses at the hospital had just switched over to standard navy blue uniforms on September 1, just after the storm hit. Sue Coppola, RN, and her fellow Ambulatory Surgery Unit (ASU) nursing team came up with the idea and organized a uniform drive that ran through September 22. Following a news conference and blessing ceremony held at the hospital on September 27, the uniforms were shipped to the Emergency Nurses Association (ENA) in Houston.
“It makes us feel so good knowing that the uniforms will continue to be worn by other hospital caregivers,” said Sue Coppola. “The ENA representatives we spoke to in Texas said they are thrilled to be receiving them…it’s all about nurses helping nurses.”
During the news conference, hospital officials along with Sue and her team announced that they will continue collecting nurse uniforms from staff and the community to make additional donations to those affected in Florida and Puerto Rico from subsequent Hurricanes Irma and Maria. The Patient Care Services Department at Mercy Hospital covered the shipping expenses. The ASU staff and other volunteers carefully packaged and organized the uniforms by sizes/ tops/ bottoms for ease of distribution. Representatives from CWA Local 1133 helped spread the word about the uniform drive to the hospital nurses.
