By Sara McCloskey-Nieves  

Every day at VCU Health, lives are changed within these walls. As the holidays draw near, it’s not just patients who feel hope – it’s the nurses, doctors and hospital staff who pause to reflect on moments big and small that keep them going.  

To celebrate the season of giving, VCU Health News asked team members around VCU Medical Center in Richmond what they are thankful for this holiday season. We asked them to write a few words on a whiteboard and to share more about their response.

Joe Roberts, LCSW, is a social worker at Children's Hospital of Richmond at VCU. (Sara McCloskey-Nieves, Enterprise Marketing and Communications)

Joe Roberts, LCSW, a licensed clinical social worker at Children’s Hospital of Richmond at VCU’s pediatric intensive care unit, is grateful for the community on his unit, at the hospital and throughout the Richmond area.   

“The PICU team is amazing. The families and kids that we work with are amazing. Within the larger community at CHoR, I feel like we work well together. When all different specialties come together, you get to meet amazing people who are experts at what they do,” Roberts explained. “I’m grateful for how CHoR fits within the community and how the Richmond community works to support CHoR, while also being supported by the hospital.”

Kisha Morgan works at the VCU Health Evans-Haynes Burn Center. (Sara McCloskey-Nieves, Enterprise Marketing and Communications)

Kisha Morgan is a clinical coordinator at the Evans-Haynes Burn Center. She’s thankful that her coworkers are always willing to step in at a moment’s notice and lend a helping hand. 

“Last week, we had a lot of things going on – there were about 15 to 20 team members in one [procedure] room,” she explained. “You would have thought it would have been chaotic having so many people in one space, but it was not. It was wonderful; our teamwork is truly unmatched.”

Mary Grace Broaddus, BSN, RN, is a nurse at the VCU Health Pauley Heart Center. (Sara McCloskey-Nieves, Enterprise Marketing and Communications)

Mary Grace Broaddus, a nurse with the Pauley Heart Center, is grateful for her family as well as the strength to pursue an athletic achievement. 

“I just ran the half marathon [in Richmond] and I’m grateful for the ability to move my body,” she said. Greer Bornemeier is a nurse in Pauley Center Center's OR. (Sara McCloskey-Nieves, Enterprise Marketing and Communications)

Greer Bornemeier is thankful for her team of “Cardiac Girlies,” the cardiac operating room nurses from the Pauley Heart Center.  

“Everyone I work with is so well-meshed and helpful. They’re always willing to swap shifts; they’re just such a good team,” Bornemeier said. “I don’t think you could find a better team of workers anywhere else. Most weeks, I spend more time with my coworkers than my family. I’m thankful to be alongside them as we care for our patients."

Members of VCU Health's Division of Enterprise Marketing and Communications are thankful to share the stories of dedicated team members and the patients they care for each day at the health system. (Sara McCloskey-Nieves, Enterprise Marketing and Communications)

Each and every day, we are grateful to our team members for their unwavering dedication to our patients and each other. Thank you for all that you do to make VCU Health a special place in our community.

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