From left, Registered Nurse Tony Sollars, Joshua Mathews, Raina Mathews, and Registered Nurse Shea Gilbert stand for a photo with the “Virtual Vigil Stations” on display.
From left, Registered Nurse Tony Sollars, Joshua Mathews, Raina Mathews, and Registered Nurse Shea Gilbert stand for a photo with the “Virtual Vigil Stations” on display.
A Tacoma area ninth-grader recently raised enough money to provide 10 telecommunication stations to rural hospitals in Washington. On Saturday, Raina Mathews dropped off two of the sets at Skyline Hospital in White Salmon.
The “Virtual Vigil Stations,” as Raina calls them, are iPads with Gooseneck stands, which are mobile, cleanable, and sturdy, to allow for telecommunication between patients and their families, providers and patients, and a variety of other uses, Mathews said.
For the past two years, Raina, whose parents Zeeba and Arun are both physicians in the Puget Sound area, had stories related to her about the impacts of COVID-19 on patients, especially how lonely it can be during isolation.
With support from connections made in the industry, Raina, brother Joshua, and her friends developed a simple solution to provide patients with access to electronic communication when in-person options are not available.
Through the GoFundMe fundraiser, Raina was able to raise enough money to provide 10 of such stations to hospitals. Raina said they sought out rural hospitals specifically who could use the stations most effectively.
“It’s about doing something to give back and show appreciation,” she said.
With help from the Washington Rural Health Collaborative, Raina identified Skyline among several hospitals with a demonstrated need for the stations.
Last weekend, the Mathews family loaded up their vehicle and headed across the Cascades to fulfill their deliveries. Along the way they stopped at hospitals who demonstrated various uses. One such hospital will be implementing the stations in a nursing home, currently under construction. At Skyline Hospital, the stations will be used in a variety of ways, including telecommunication between families and patients, with an emphasis for pediatric patients.
Raina and Joshua Mathews demonstrate setting up the “Virtual Vigil Stations” at Skyline Hospital on Saturday.
Jacob Bertram photo
Shea Gilbert, emergency department manager and registered nurse at Skyline Hospital, said the devices will bring comfort and provide a calming environment for children by allowing movies and games to distract from unfamiliar situations and procedures, and noted that the two stations are versatile in that they can be used in a multitude of ways.
Raina said it has been a gratifying experience to visit hospitals she has collaborated with, speak with physicians and see the benefits firsthand of their donated devices.
”Engaging in projects like these helps to provide benefits to the community, but also helps us get out of our comfort zone,” Raina said.
Commented
Sorry, there are no recent results for popular commented articles.