Nurse Virginia, in front of the D72/D74 bus stop on Columbia Road, in front of Christ House.
When D.C. announced that the bus routes would be changing in mid-June, one of our nurses realized that this would impact Christ House patients. “I use public transportation every day, so I had to figure it out anyways.” Patients at Christ House have 24/7 medical care here but are also connected with other providers for specialized care. Transportation by Christ House van is one of the ways that patients get to these appointments, but several patients take the bus weekly to Washington Hospital Center or George Washington University Hospital.
On her day off, Nurse Virginia tested the bus routes that a patient would have to take on the way to an appointment, noting where to get on and off, what landmarks are surrounding the stop, and even took photos. She compiled a paper handout with detailed directions, photographs and helpful information on the different bus options, such as noting that the “bus circle” at Washington Hospital Center no longer offered buses that would previously have taken you back to the Adams Morgan/Christ House area. This printout has proven very handy, and patients are navigating the new bus system with much more clarity.
This is not the first time Nurse Virginia has “gone the extra mile” (literally and figuratively). Recently, a patient shared that she took the time to check in on him during a hospital stay. He said, “Nurse Virginia was there visiting me in the hospital on 4th of July! And she said she came of her own accord, and that was really, like, ‘What kind of place is this? They’ve got Santa-Clause-throughout-the-year type of people, not just at Christmas time!’ She had me in tears of joy.”
We’re so grateful for the talented and compassionate medical team here at Christ House and for the work they do, on and off the clock, to better the lives of patients here.
Leave a Reply