A Birthday Party and a Lesson in Compassion

One of the concepts I've written about before is unreasonable hospitality: The idea that we shouldn't simply meet expectations but exceed them in ways that make people feel seen, valued, and cared for.

It's a concept that comes from the hospitality industry, but I believe it applies just as powerfully to healthcare.

Another phrase I often come back to is: the way you do one thing is the way you do everything.

In other words, excellence isn't reserved for the biggest moments. It's reflected in the small decisions we make every day. It's evident in how we treat people when no one is watching. It's visible in the extra effort we make when there is no policy requiring it and no metric measuring it.

Recently, Unit 47 received a DAISY Team Award, and when I read the nomination, I thought: This is it. This is the definition of unreasonable hospitality.

This wasn't a story about a complex procedure, a new technology, or a major organizational initiative. It was a story about a team recognizing that one of their patients needed something more than medical care. The patient needed connection, dignity, and a reminder that they mattered.

I'm sharing the nomination exactly as it was written because I think it speaks for itself: 

“Unit 47 takes care of the medical and behavioral health population at GBMC. I have never seen a team come together to support our patients such as this one. Many of the patients on Unit 47 often do not have involved family or friends, and sometimes we are all they have while they are hospitalized. Because of a multitude of complicating factors, sometimes our patients may end up waiting for extended periods of time until they can move on to another placement. When this happens, we need to find creative ways to help our patients stay engaged while they are here.

One very recent example of the compassionate care by the Unit 47 team was planning a birthday celebration for one of our long-term patients who has been here on this admission for the last 94 days (and on his previous admission to us last fall, 92 days). Both dayshift and nightshift signed up to bring in food for a giant potluck meal. Staff brought in gifts for the patient and decorated our whole conference room for a surprise 5 p.m. birthday party. It was an incredibly special day for our patient. This is one of the many kind things we have done for him during his stays. Our unit, together with Security, takes the patient outside for walks to get fresh air; staff will bring in special food for him like breakfast or fruits from home, and on his last admission would assist the patient with hair trimming and shaving.

When we have long-term patients such as this, we do all we can to treat them with dignity and compassion. Anything we can do to provide them with a bit of comfort while admitted is our goal.”

To the team on Unit 47: thank you.

Thank you for reminding us that healing is about more than treating illness. Thank you for demonstrating that compassion is not an occasional act. It is a way of showing up every day. And thank you for showing what happens when a team fully embraces our commitment to care for patients the way we would want our own loved ones cared for.

The birthday party, the walks outside, the special meals, the simple acts of kindness... none of these were required. But they were exactly what was needed.

That's unreasonable hospitality. And that's why this recognition is so well deserved.