Co-Op Cares

We started the Co-Op Cares program at Tampa General Hospital this past summer and we are extremely proud of the amount of success we’ve had in such a short period of time. All of the TGH staff has given us such a warm welcome and have really helped the whole program run smoothly.

We created Co-Op Cares because the days after a catastrophic injury can be the toughest part of recovery for survivors and their loved ones. The program is our little way of doing what we can to help others during this difficult phase. It has truly been an honor to work with the injury survivors recovering in the Level I Trauma Center of TGH and their family members keeping vigil.

Every week, we visit these patients to give them advice, prepare them for the next phase of recovery or simply just talk about every day things with them and their families (sometimes this is the best form of therapy). We also give each patient we meet with an Injury Co-Op backpack to help make the hospital stay feel as comfortable as possible. Each backpack includes:

·         A stress ball

·         A warm blanket for those cold waiting rooms

·         A recovery handbook

·         A guestbook for visitors to sign and leave encouraging words

·         Pen and Paper Pad

So far, we have met with seven SCI/TBI families who have all been extremely receptive of our program. The most rewarding part about the whole experience is that we get to track their recovery over the course of their hospital stay. It has been so incredible to celebrate milestones with the patients and their families because we’ve been there and we know how important these accomplishments are. We are so honored that these injury survivors have allowed us to be a part of their special moments and we can’t wait to see what the future holds!