Ben Taub General Hospital - Houston, Texas

Their Story
Ben Taub General Hospital is one of the Baylor College of Medicine's primary teaching hospitals, serving the needs of inner-city residents of the Harris County. The patients are racially, culturally, and religiously diverse, with many different needs. The medical ICU is a 16-bed, closed unit with an extremely high acuity level. One third of the families are from out-of-town and are non-English speaking. Due to the variety of issues requiring support at multiple levels, we decided to extend social work coverage to include evening and weekend hours. Because a social worker is now available on evenings and weekends, the family members' needs can be addressed in a timely and convenient manner.

Our program is called "FAIR" (Families Assisting in Recovery). Our families receive a tote bag that includes educational information and toiletries. Also available are computer resources; a comfortable, child-friendly waiting room with a play corner as well as lodging and food coupons. An innovative and interactive information CD was developed for the families who want to learn more about their loved ones' medical condition.

Meet the Team

From Left to Right: M. Warnasch, Project Coordinator Social Services; L. Hawkins, Building Services; K. Guntupalli MD, Program Director; Caryn Pope, Project Research Coordinator

Standing: P. Carroll, Social Services; J. Gregg, Chaplain; D. Furlough, Grant Manager; A. James, ICU Nurse manager

Implementing the Program