Einstein Employees Give the Gift of Warmth During the Holidays
For the 10th year in a row, hundreds of Einstein Healthcare Network employees are sharing the gift of warmth.
Adopt-a-Patient, managed by Einstein’s Office of Development and Fran Gress, Einstein’s annual fund manager, offers a way for employees who aren’t involved in day-to-day clinical care to make a big difference in the lives of patients. The campaign is hosted for all inpatients at every campus, emergency department, cancer treatment center, Einstein Medical Center Philadelphia’s Pediatric Clinic, and Einstein Medical Center Montgomery’s emergency room.
In addition to the plush blankets that are distributed each year, Gress says, “We are excited to introduce a new gift, a stuffed dog in the likeness of Pender, MossRehab’s beloved facility dog. Pender has only been here for a short time, and he has already brought so much aid and joy to patients. We wanted to spread that joy to more patients across the Network, and so our pediatric patients here at Einstein Philadelphia’s Pediatric and Adolescent Ambulatory Center and Einstein Montgomery’s emergency department will get the gift of Pender. And of course, Pender’s family at MossRehab will receive the stuffed dog as well.”
“Whatever the gift, we want it to remind our patients that someone
cares while they are enduring a hospital stay over the holidays.”
—Fran Gress
Gress adds, “Each year, the blankets are chosen so that our patients are kept warm in the literal sense, but also so that our patients may feel the warmth of our compassion—Einstein’s compassionate care. It’s also a gift they can take with them when they leave and share with loved ones. Whatever the gift, we want it to remind our patients that someone cares while they are enduring a hospital stay over the holidays.”
Adopt-A-Patient launched on Giving Tuesday, Nov. 28, and blankets and Penders will make their way to patients on Dec. 20 and 21. Typically, Adopt-a-Patient campaign reaches more than 1,100 patients; however, it is projected to reach nearly 2,000 this year.
“The generosity of our employees and donors is truly inspiring,” Gress says, “and Adopt-a-Patient is my favorite part of my job. All of us, clinicians especially, are here to improve and save the lives of our patients. But my colleagues are always raising the standard beyond that, giving generously throughout the year and especially during the holidays, and I am so grateful to those who make room for Adopt-a-Patient.”
