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Heart Month is a time to focus on cardiovascular health, and this February, the UVA Heart and Vascular Center team delivered heartwarming deeds as well.

The Heart Center team donated their time to visit with inpatients who were lonely, which in turn supported their inpatient bedside colleagues and gave them more time to complete critical tasks.

"The inpatient cardiovascular unit is experiencing short-staffing, many travelers, and high patient acuity, not to mention the increase in COVID-positive patients being placed throughout the unit, resulting in visitor restrictions," says Robbin Shifflett, RN, Clinic Manager, Heart Center. "When we asked our colleagues how we could provide support for them, one thought stood out: why not donate the precious gift of time, and spend it with patients. With no visitors allowed, it was taking substantially longer to complete any tasks because patients were lonely and wanted to chat."

This gesture freed up time for the bedside staff and helped lower the anxiety of the patients.

In addition, several times throughout the month, the ambulatory team brought in homemade goodies, small gifts, and candy with words of inspiration and thanks to share with the inpatient teams.

What a great partnership! Thank you to the Heart and Vascular Clinic team for creating a positive experience for both patients and coworkers!

Enjoy the below photos of the Heart and Vascular team celebrating Heart Month, many with our lovable heart character Betty Beat.