Hospitals across Washington State have their own ways of celebrating Thanksgiving each year, with special festivities that make the day and season special. Here are a few of the ways WSHA members celebrate and give thanks:
PeaceHealth St. John Medical Center celebrated Thanksgiving early, serving up a feast for 1,100 caregivers Nov. 12. Caregivers were also invited to write on leaf-shaped notecards about what they were thankful for and add it to the hospital’s gratitude tree in the cafeteria. Family and health, respectively, were thanked for the most.
Kadlec Regional Medical Center will celebrate Thursday with a traditional Thanksgiving meal for patients, caregivers and visitors. The free employee meal includes a special breakfast, a traditional meal in the afternoon and evening, and a midnight buffet. The hospital will roast more than 400 pounds of turkey, 60 pounds of honey ham, bake 30 dozen rolls and make 600 orders of sage dressing, mashed potatoes, giblet gravy, sweet peas and carrots. For dessert, they will also whip up 240 orders of Holiday Cranberry Jell-O and bake more than 50 assorted pies and six pans of cheesecake. It takes the kitchen two full days to prepare the feast that serves 700.
Coulee Medical Center hosts a weeklong community food drive and offers a free Thanksgiving lunch for staff and an optional Thanksgiving meal for patients. The hospital also hosts an annual Turkey Bowl.
Skyline Hospital celebrates Thanksgiving by holding a Thanks-for-Giving Food Drive, collecting food for those in need and working to fulfill the hospital’s goal of promoting an exceptional level of health and well-being in the White Salmon community. Last year, hospital staff filled an entire car with food donations.
St. Luke’s Rehabilitation Institute has celebrated Thanksgivings with family-friendly celebrations for the last 20 years, serving traditional Thanksgiving meals to patients, family members and friends. Patients also join in by creating festive centerpieces for the tables, and because family members can’t always be present, St. Luke’s matches volunteers with patients to ensure that nobody is alone during the holiday.
Harborview Medical Center will host a free Thanksgiving meal on Thursday for all patients and families at the hospital. The meal will be catered by Fare Start: a local non-profit that aims to empower homeless and disadvantaged people by providing life skills, job training and employment in the food service industry.
EvergreenHealth will celebrate its staff on Thanksgiving with a festive, complimentary meal, specially prepared in the hospital’s café. The meal is a way to give thanks to their team of dedicated and compassionate providers.
Happy Thanksgiving from WSHA! We hope you have a safe and happy holiday. (Tim Pfarr)
