Going above and beyond the call of duty is what HCA Healthcare nurse Brooke Johns is doing for patients on and off the clock. Brooke spends her days off from Southern Hills Hospital and Medical Center volunteering to pamper patients. Using proper sanitizing measures, Brooke goes from hospital room to hospital room to braid and brush the hair of patients who want the service. She said the act goes far beyond vanity. "There's something therapeutic about the human touch," says Brooke. "Human talking, human touching, it's that connection that we're all hard-wired for."
The emergency room nurse is hopeful her kindness can provide a spark for those seeking comfort and connection while hospitalized. "COVID is going around and there's a lot of isolation," said Sierra Stein, one of Brooke’s patients. "To have someone just to be able to braid your hair makes you feel like you're at home again."
Proving that kindness is contagious, some of Brooke’s colleagues have joined in to braid patients’ hair. Thank you, Brooke, for being there for our patients when their loved ones cannot.