You never know when you might need it, but you will be glad it’s here. This simple phrase has been said by many patients who have reaped the benefits of the Clothes Closet. Whether a patient’s clothes were cut off due to a trauma, soiled in some way, or collected as evidence by law enforcement, the Clothes Closet is here to help and has provided a full set of new clothing to more than 300 patients in in the past year.
“It helps me aid in the flow of moving discharged patients out of the hospital who do not have any clothes with them,” said Patricia Weeks, an RN in the ICU float pool and discharge lounge nurse.
The Clothes Closet was created in 2021 as the brainchild of Vanessa Spearman-McCarthy, MD, and former team member Lisa Wilson, RN, to help preserve the dignity of patients when these individuals are discharged from the hospital. Often they left the hospital in paper scrubs. This year, the Clothes Closet has served 361 patients, an increase of 62% over the previous year.
“Every person, I believe, would rather be in actual clothes versus paper scrubs,” Weeks said.
The Clothes Closet is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Weekdays it is open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Call 706-721-7322 before arriving. For access on the weekends or after hours, contact the nursing supervisor.
To comply with infection control standards, all donations must be new and never worn. If you are interested in donating new clothes or providing financial assistance to support the Clothes Closet, please call the Center for Patients and Families at 706-721-7322 for a dedicated list of clothing needs.
