BWFH nurses raise funds for Fisher House

At the Fisher House in West Roxbury, Veterans and their families struggling through difficult times find a healing and supportive environment where their needs are met beyond what is provided by the Veterans Administration (VA). For those requiring medical attention that can only be provided by a Boston-based hospital, the Fisher House even provides Veterans and their families with a place to stay in a Boston hotel until the medical necessity has been satisfied.

Understanding the importance of the Fisher House’s mission, Brigham and Women’s Faulkner Hospital nurses recently decided to lend a hand.

On May 13, BWFH nurses celebrated their annual Massachusetts Nurses Association (MNA) Day. During the event, the MNA donates food and baskets to be raffled off for nurses to win. Each unit’s nurses also collect money from within their department to create their own baskets to be donated to the event and be raffled off. This year, the inpatient case management team decided to simply collect money to be donated directly to the Fisher House. The idea was welcomed with great enthusiasm and, in total, the nurses raised more than $400 in cash and gift cards.

“I am so thrilled that we are able to help such a deserving organization and the guests they serve,” says Case Manager Elizabeth Vazquez, RN, BSN, who helped organize the project. “We invited Jennifer Deluca, Executive Director of Fisher House, to receive the donation here at the hospital. She was very grateful to the Department of Nursing.”