Wellness Beyond Patient Care | Medical Mission at Home 2019

The Resource Group has been sending volunteers to ‘Medical Mission at Home’ events for several years. These events are hosted by one of the Ascension facilities and serve thousands of patients annually. Each occasion brings its own unique experiences for every individual, both volunteers and patients. This year, two of our volunteers, Gerard, a member of The Resource Group Purchased Services Management Community, and Kevin, a member of The Resource Group Sourcing Community, shared an experience that furthered a patient’s wellness in an unexpected way. 

“I was on my way moving from one station to the next when I saw this mother trying to calm her two, very energetic, children” said Gerard. “Being a parent and now grandparent myself, I saw she seemed a bit stressed, so I walked up to her kids and offered to keep them distracted.” Gerard ended up playing hide and seek, tag, and assortment of other games with the kids for the entire day. Kevin was nearby and joined in on the fun midway through and reflected on the mother’s reaction, “you could tell the expression on the mother’s face was that of relief, her need at that moment in time was not just healthcare, but someone to watch her kids so she could receive the care she needed.”

As the day went on Gerard and Kevin learned a little bit more about the mother’s story. “She is a single mom who happened to grow up in the foster system” Kevin said. “Her food stamps recently got cut and she was very stressed about providing for her kids. She is all they have, and they are all she has; the situation was very heartbreaking. With no extended family or additional resources to spare, this mother brought her kids with her as she sought out care.” 

Gerard and Kevin later learned before they arrived, the mother had minutes before been told she would be unable to receive the care needed as her blood pressure was too high from her stress levels making the normal out-patient procedure too risky. A couple of hours after Gerard and Kevin started caring for her children, her blood pressure dropped a normal level, and allowed her to receive the procedure she almost walked away from. “I always like to say things happen for a reason and in this situation, it is no different. Kevin and I were meant to walk past those kids, being parents and grandparents, we saw the stress on that mother’s face and were able to help in a way we didn’t even know would be that impactful” said Gerard. “And now the mother got her procedure, and even as important, those kids got to be kids for a day.” 

The Resource Group and all 22 volunteers are honored to serve at another ‘Medical Mission at Home event’. To receive more information on ‘Medical Mission at Home’ and get involved in your community, please visit the ‘Medical Mission at Home’ website: https://www.medicalmissionathome.org/get-involved.