Forty-seven students from the Frank H. Netter MD School of Medicine made Valentine's Day sweeter for patients and staff at St. Vincent's Medical Center in Bridgeport. The students spent Feb. 14 delivering flowers and hand-made cards to patients and hospital employees on six floors. They also played cards and board games and spent time visiting with patients. One lucky patent's family was even serenaded by a guitar-strumming future doctor. St. Vincent's is the medical school's primary clinical partner. "In the fall, a few students and I were hoping to create an opportunity for patients to have a positive, memorable experience at St. Vincent's," said Alyson Cunningham, a second-year medical student from West Hartford who helped organize the event. "Over time, the idea evolved to become an occasion to spread warmth on Valentine's Day. We realized some patients may not be able to be with family and loved ones." Cunningham said the event was a collaboration between the School of Medicine's American Medical Women's Association (AMWA) branch and its surgery interest and hematology-oncology interest groups. She said medical students Eva Amenta of Wallingford, Danielle Bottalico of Danbury, Galen Didomizio of New Haven, Charissa DiNobile of East Greenwich, Rhode Island, Darcie Moeller of Urbana, Illinois, Katelyn Norman of Ledyard, Georgina Pappas of Westport, Casey Rosenthal of Sherman Oaks, California, and Nicolle Troyano of Moriches, New York were also instrumental in making Valentine's Day special at St. Vincent's. The 90 roses they distributed were donated by the Amenta family of Wallingford. "I had been very much looking forward to that day and am thrilled that so many students and patients were able to have such a positive experience," Cunningham said. "I hope that this opportunity to come together and appreciate the value of warmth and caring can become a tradition that students at Netter uphold in subsequent years." Cunningham thanked St. Vincent's Dr. Christine Van Cott, Foundations of Critical Care (FCC) preceptor at Quinnipiac's School of Medicine, and Christina Teixeira, clerkship coordinator at the medical center, for their help and support. "The students were absolutely amazing," Teixeira said. "To be a young kid in medical school with all that pressure and to still think, 'How can I give back? How can I make someone's day?' is fantastic and it speaks to the kind of doctors these young people will become. The students made a huge difference." Source
