Eagle Scout Project Recognizes Compassionate Care

To express his gratitude to the team of doctors, nurses and staff members who cared for his father while in the critical care unit, Ben Ridenbaugh created an “appreciation station” as an Eagle Scout project. The station includes a hand-carved wooden box, framed sign and corkboard. Patients and families leave notes of thanks for the care they receive in the box, which is inscribed in memory of Ben’s father. Staff members can display the notes on the corkboard after reading them. In the photo, Ben, third from left, and fellow Scouts prepare to set up the appreciation station in the critical care unit.

Former Girl Scout Continues Giving Back to Johns Hopkins

Every year, Erika Kosar sews heart pillows to help inpatients as they recover from cardiovascular surgery. The project began several years ago when she was a Girl Scout. Today, Kosar is in college studying to be a nurse, but she returns to The Johns Hopkins Hospital to deliver the handmade heart pillows with her mother, Beth. In the photo below, Erika Kosar’s former Girl Scout troop reunited last year to make more pillows. Kosar is in the back row on the far right and her mother is seated in the front.

Development Team Goes Red

From left, Adrienne Rose, Lisa Hammann and Jessica Howard of the Heart and Vascular Institute development office wore red Feb. 2 in recognition of National Wear Red Day. The day was established by the American Heart Association to bring national attention to the fact that heart disease is the No. 1 killer of women. Heart disease and stroke cause one in three deaths among women each year, killing approximately one woman every 80 seconds.