Walmart makes donation to protect caregivers and patients

As our hospital system continues to see COVID-19 patients increase daily, the Geisinger care team is working on ways to keep themselves and other patients safe from the disease. As patients are admitted to the hospital, work is being done to limit the number of caregivers that visit the room to check on patients.

In order to help in this effort, caregivers at Geisinger Community Medical Center, decided to use audio and visual baby monitors that can be used as a way to communicate with the patient and employee who is in the room.

“When a member of the care team is in the patient room, it allows the care team outside of the patient room to talk to the employee as well as the patient,” said Megan Walbeck, AVP of nursing services in the northeast. “The video/audio function of the baby monitors is really to enhance communications, since we must keep the patient doors closed at all times.”

To help serve this need, members of the Children’s Miracle Network at Geisinger team that have strong relationships with area Walmarts reached out to managers to secure donations of baby monitors.

Northeast Walmarts responded immediately, donating whatever they had in stock to assist with the need. Dickson City Walmart was able to donate 10 monitors, while the Pittston Walmart donated five additional units. The Walmart location in Wilkes-Barre had one monitor it was able to donate and the WalMart Transportation Center in Tobbyhanna has agreed to donate eight more monitors by next week.

The staff would ideally like to secure 75 or more baby monitors in the coming days and are still seeking additional donations.

To make a donation in the fight against COVID-19, please visit Geisinger.org/fightcovid or call 800-739-6882.