I will always be so proud of the work we are doing at Bronson

I was recently shopping at Meijer in Portage and stopped by the Subway located in the store. I was wearing was one of my Bronson tee shirts. I noticed that the worker was looking at my shirt as I was ordering my food. Once she got done making my sandwich, she asked me where I worked at Bronson.  I told her that I currently work as a nurse in Utilization but that I’ve been a nurse at Bronson for almost 25 years.  She paused, then started telling me about her experience at Bronson. She shared that she came to the ED due to difficulty breathing.  It was the first time she had ever needed to come to the hospital for that concern, and she mentioned that she was worried she would be judged by hospital staff because she is a smoker. She shared that she actually turned her car around twice after arriving at the hospital because she just didn’t want to face the situation.  Eventually her symptoms progressed to the point that she knew she absolutely must seek treatment.  The next part of her story made me so proud to be a Bronson nurse. She shared that she has never felt more respected as a person than when she received care at Bronson.  She said that she never felt judged or “less than” because she was a smoker.  Her fears about how she might be treated almost caused her to not seek care, but now she understands the culture that we strive for at Bronson. She didn’t mention any names in particular, but was just very happy and satisfied with the care and feelings of acceptance that she received at Bronson.  This story is a testament to the work Bronson does every day to provide holistic care to patients without judgment.  I believe she will now be more willing to seek care when she needs it, because she knows that at Bronson we do care for our patients regardless of their situation. She also shared that since her admission, she has not smoked one cigarette.  Although I don’t work at the bedside day to day anymore, I will always be so proud of the work we are doing at Bronson and am so thankful for the amazing teams we have.