On Thursday, April 4, a patient observing Ramadan was admitted overnight to Shore Behavioral Health’s inpatient unit in UM Shore Medical Center at Easton. According to SBH Nurse Manager Jacki Crawford, this patient requested that his meals be served before sunrise and after sunset.
“Through conversations, staff on duty — Brianna Chester, Teri Hubbard, Aja Neal and Keturah Hill — also learned that he would be praying at regular intervals. We contacted the Director of Food and Nutrition Services (FANS) DeAndra and made arrangements for food to be delivered to us that we could store in the fridge/freezer and prepare for him at appropriate times,” said Crawford. “She added a special order to her weekly delivery and we were able to create a plan that would offer a variety of choices for this patient. Angie from FANS came up shortly after with an array of options.”
To further support the patient’s observation of his beliefs, SBH staff offered up use of their quiet room for his prayer times, provided yoga mats for comfort on the floor and offered to set alarms for him to ensure that he didn’t miss any of his scheduled prayers.
Special thanks to these SRH team members for going above and beyond to provide an optimal experience for this patient by facilitating his religious practices.