LUMBERTON — Southeastern Regional Medical Center’s pediatrics unit has received new DVD players for each of the 17 patient rooms thanks to the Supply Chain Management, Engineering and Facility Management, and Food Services departments.

The idea originated from a meeting during which Anita Thurman, director of Critical Care Services, expressed an interest in improving the hospital experience for young patients and their families. After the meeting, Vivien Lunsford, director of Supply Chain Management, came up with an idea of purchasing DVD players for each room in the pediatric unit instead of all patients having to share one in a centralized playroom, which often required patients of varying ages to agree on one movie choice.

Since Supply Chain Management is a behind-the-scenes department, they teamed up with Joe Buri, director, and Jeff Sacry from Engineering and Facility Management, and Harry Andrews, director of Food Services, to implement the idea.

The theme of the project was “Be a Superhero for Our Kids on Peds!”

“I asked my staff about a theme,” Lunsford said. “We want patients to think of the staff not as strangers, but people who help them and do good and that’s what superheroes do, right?”

The DVD players were funded by the Supply Chain Management’s Trash to Treasure fund, a program that involves recycling materials that may no longer be of use in the medical setting but may serve another purpose in another setting.

On May 20, employees were encouraged to donate a children’s DVD to the cause. According to Lunsford, many staff members put themselves in the patients’ shoes, made a connection and contributed greatly. Those who were involved in the donation received a cookie or a fruit cup from Food Services and a superhero sticker.

The DVD players are now installed, thanks to the Engineering and Facility Management department, and DVDs were delivered to the pediatrics unit on Thursday. All three of the departments involved want to achieve positive patient experiences by accommodating and meeting customer expectations. All enjoyed being involved and plan to continue to replace DVDs once they wear out.

Courtesy photo Representatives from SeHealth’s “Be a Superhero for Our Kids on Peds” project visited pediatric patient Jackson Jacobs on Thursday as he watched a movie on a newly-installed DVD player. The group presented the pediatric unit with DVD’s for patients of all ages which were collected as part of their project.

https://www.robesonian.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/web1_superheroes-2-.jpgCourtesy photo Representatives from SeHealth’s “Be a Superhero for Our Kids on Peds” project visited pediatric patient Jackson Jacobs on Thursday as he watched a movie on a newly-installed DVD player. The group presented the pediatric unit with DVD’s for patients of all ages which were collected as part of their project.