OhioHealth Mansfield Hospital Hosts Coat Drive for Oncology Patients
OhioHealth Mansfield Hospital is hosting a “Winter Warmth Drive” to help oncology patients in need of coats, hats, gloves and blankets during the colder months. New and unused donations can be dropped off at the “Hope Chest” pantry in the OhioHealth Mansfield Physician’s Group Radiation Oncology Building, as well as the main hospital, medical office building, the radiation oncology building and the infusion centers in Mansfield and Shelby.
The “Hope Chest” provides cancer patients with food, medical supplies, clothes, feminine hygiene products, and more. As the winter months continue to get colder, many cancer patients cannot afford the appropriate winter attire due to the financial burden that cancer treatments can bring upon families. The nurses at Mansfield Hospital noticed this struggle, so they decided to grow the pantry to help patients in need of winter clothing.
"A lot of the public doesn't know that we have chemotherapy agents that make patients extremely sensitive to the cold," Elisa Bryant, OhioHealth Business Project Manager for Oncology Services, told Mansfield News Journal reporter Zach Tuggle. "So, it's really important for those patients to be able to cover their hands and their face, especially as the weather starts getting cold, to make sure that they aren't having any of those adverse reactions to that."
"I have had nurses give the coats off their backs,” OhioHealth Nurse Manager, Suzanne Temple said. "I had a nurse last year that literally just went and got her coat out of the locker and sent a patient home with that coat."
With the “Winter Warmth Drive,” patients who are receiving this lifesaving care can feel more comfortable and warmer during these frigid months. People can also provide financial support by making a check out to the OhioHealth Foundation, noting “Hope Chest” in the memo. More information can be found by calling the Mansfield radiation oncology staff at 419-526-8622.
