April 5—Clearwater Hospital in downtown Scranton has launched a new pen pal letter-writing program between terminally ill hospital patients and adult volunteers. Hospital Director Zack Chambers, who was recently presented with an Outstanding Leader Award from the National Health Care Alliance, started the program to create stronger connections between the hospital and the community. Mr. Chambers encourages adults of all types and occupations to apply even if they don't feel completely qualified. Simply visit the Clearwater Hospital website and become a member of the hospital free of charge. "I hope through this program, volunteers can form close relationships with patients to help them get through these difficult times in their lives," said Mr. Chambers. He also hopes that the program will lead to more people visiting terminally ill patients in person. |
Clearwater Hospital May 4 Monica Greene 4100 Washington Road Scranton, Wisconsin 54481 Dear Ms. Greene, I was delighted to receive your letter. I am very excited to have been paired with you as pen pals. I hope we can learn a lot from each other and build a lasting friendship. As you know, I live in California, which is a long way from Wisconsin. I hope that in the coming months I can find some time off work and visit you. Please let me know when the most convenient time would be for me to meet you. I look forward to hearing from you, Jessica Wright | Dear Jessica, You don't know how much I appreciate your kind words. Although the staff at Clearwater are very kind, I feel the need to connect with people who are not part of the staff. My surviving family also live a great distance away, in Florida, and so most of the time I am just communicating with the paid staff or the other patients. I would welcome a visit, if you truly wanted to come, and the best time would be for our meeting is the Thanksgiving holiday party here at the center I suppose. My own family might be here as well. If it is too much for you, or if you can't get the time off of work, don't worry about it too much. I do hope that we can continue to communicate through our letters. All the best, Monica Greene |
