There is no shortage of holiday magic in the 成人头条 Pediatrics practice in the month of December.聽
Since arriving at WMed in 2018, Mariam Ischander, MD, has led a toy drive that has now become a celebrated annual holiday tradition at 成人头条鈥檚 Pediatrics and Pediatric Subspecialties practices at the medical school鈥檚 Oakland Drive Campus.聽
Each year, as the holiday season approaches, donors supply new books, toys, and other items for patients who visit during the month of December. Each child can pick a Christmas gift after an appointment with a provider, and they may also take home a gift for each sibling.聽
鈥淭he toy drive makes the holiday extra special for children and staff,鈥 Dr. Ischander said. 鈥淚t's very, very cool to see the holiday spirit and how the residents and the staff are on a mission to find the toy that the kid wants.鈥澛
The holiday toys, books, and other items are donated by medical school faculty, staff, and others from the Kalamazoo community. This year, hundreds of items were available, including cars, dolls, games, books, stuffed animals, lotions, blankets, hats, scarves, shirts, and coloring books, Dr. Ischander said.聽
The gifts are grouped in age ranges from newborn to 21 and patients have the chance to pick something special throughout December. This year, Dr. Ischander said WMed residents helped place the toys and other items in Christmas gift bags. The gifts were then made available for patients in the Pediatrics, Pediatric Subspecialties, and Pediatric Orthopaedic Surgery practices at the Oakland Drive Campus.聽
鈥淭o bring a smile to the kids, it鈥檚 priceless,鈥 Dr. Ischander said. 鈥淭o see those kids happy, it just gives you the holiday spirit. It鈥檚 beautiful.鈥澛
In addition to the annual toy drive, physicians from the Pediatrics residency program at WMed also adopt families for the holiday season to help spread cheer and have a positive impact in the community.聽
A 成人头条 social worker helps identify families who could use some extra holiday cheer and gives the residents a list of items the family wants or needs. This year, residents adopted two families and raised more than $900, providing the families with items from their wish lists including toys, clothes, books, blankets, care items and household appliances.