TSTC Nursing, EMS programs provide treats to Abilene nurses

(ABILENE, Texas) – Bags filled with treats put smiles on the faces of several nurses in Abilene recently.

The Texas State Technical College Nursing and Emergency Medical Services programs teamed up to donate food to nurses at Abilene Regional Medical Center and Hendrick Medical Center.

“When this COVID-19 pandemic hit, everyone sent our nurses breakfast, lunch, bundt cakes and a lot of other stuff,” said Leashia Eaton-Ruelas, director of the CVPCU/PCU Stroke Program at Abilene Regional Medical Center. “Lately it seems people may have forgotten we are still working. It was so nice to receive the donations from TSTC.”

Eaton-Ruelas gave the bags filled with chips, cookies, peanuts and other items to nurses on the different floors. Each bag also included the Nurse’s Prayer on the front.

“That just went to show us that they loved us,” Eaton-Ruelas said. “The TSTC nursing and EMS programs know that we are on the front line and are going through a lot right now. It was so nice to pass these bags out to show our nurses that someone still cares.”

The two Abilene hospitals are the sites of TSTC’s clinical sessions for its nursing and EMS students. Sweetwater nursing instructor Lisa Van Cleave said the faculty and leadership team wanted to help build morale among nurses working on the front line.

“They have had their vacations halted because of how much they work,” she said. “We wanted to let them know that we are praying for them every day, and this was just the right thing to do.”

Van Cleave said the donations were a team effort among the faculty, and they knew the gesture would be appreciated. She was a nurse for 22 years, including 18 as an ICU nurse.

“Nurses have their own way of thinking, and it was important we remember them,” she said.

TSTC Interim Provost Lance Eastman said the gesture shows that the TSTC faculty cares about the communities they serve.

“We at TSTC appreciate all of our medical partners who help us with clinicals and the training of our students. This was just a small way we could say thank you and we are thinking of you,” Eastman said.

Registration for the fall semester is underway. For more information, go to tstc.edu.