Times Observer photo by Brian Ferry
The pictorial wall inside the main entrance at Warren General Hospital features women leaders in areas related to women’s health. The pictorial will remain through end of May.
Celebrating women’s health goes back to the core services of what is now Warren General Hospital when it was founded.
Warren General wasn’t always a general hospital.
“Our hospital started off for unmarried women who were pregnant,” Digital Media Marketing Manager Mary Ridout said. “It was called the Door of Hope. They took care of the unwed mothers through pregnancy and delivery.”
In celebrating women’s health at the hospital, Ridout included that history, alongside the women who lead women’s health work in today’s hospital.
She said the concept started as a look at the women leaders in the area of behavioral health.
But, as she learned more about the women in leadership positions in other areas, she wanted to include their stories.
The pictorial wall inside the main entrance is intended to highlight the efforts of hospital personnel.
That wall is now particular to women’s health and will remain so through the end of May – Women’s Health Month.
It features women in the maternity department, imaging, fitness and nutrition, behavioral health, and others.
“We have so many women leaders,” Ridout said.
Along the way to sharing their stories, Ridout enjoyed learning about them.
“I loved it,” she said. “I learned some really fun things.”
There are 13 videos attached to the display, accessible through a QR code or through the Warren General Hospital website – www.wgh.org/womens-health-wall.
The women talk about what working in a community hospital means to them, about their careers, and how they got to where they are today.
“I’ve always loved health care,” Maternity Department Manager and Assistant Director of Nursing Melissa Turner said. “You can do all different kinds of nursing, even in one facility.”
“Warren General is community- and family-oriented,” Turner said.
“Each year that passes, I’ve loved my job more and more,” Psychiatry Department Physician Assistant Allison Blake said. “It’s important to work in an environment that you are able to come to work and love what you do every day.”
“It’s a joy to come to work each day,” IMSAC (Internal Medicine Surgical Acute Care Unit) and CCU (Critical Care Unit) Nurse Manager Kelle Bari said.
