AdventHealth

Not every meaningful change in healthcare is high-tech. A nurse-led idea at AdventHealth for Women and Adventhealth for Children is helping patients feel more like themselves during difficult hospital stays. By introducing more inclusive hair care products designed for a wider range of hair types, nurses found a meaningful way to support comfort, dignity, and whole-person care in everyday moments.

Many of the moments you wait for your whole life are built through the steady work that comes before that big moment. For Matt Freese, representing his country on the world’s biggest stage is the result of years of preparation, support and resilience. When people feel supported through whole-person care, they can move toward their biggest goals with confidence. We're excited to support Matt as he lives out his #WholeLifeGoal. What's yours?

This Freight Farm is doing more than growing food. It is helping create a more sustainable and connected approach to care. Fresh produce is grown steps away from where it is served. Food scraps are repurposed to help grow the next harvest. And patient and cafeteria meals are built around ingredients cultivated on-site. As health systems continue thinking differently about community health and environmental responsibility, efforts like these show how everyday operational choices can make a meaningful difference.

Sometimes meaningful care is simply being there for someone in a practical way. In Bolingbrook, a 24/7 micro pantry outside the emergency room provides food and essential items to nearly 200 patients and neighbors each week, supported by team members, local donors, and community volunteers. Read more about how this pantry is helping support patients and neighbors in Bolingbrook: https://bit.ly/4ucD2HU

Patients are more likely to see the same nurse from one shift to the next across hospitals in East Florida, helping create greater consistency, trust, and connection during care. That progress comes as teams focus more intentionally on supporting nurses through stronger onboarding, mentorship, career development, and opportunities to help shape decisions at the bedside. As many health systems continue facing staffing challenges, this work reflects something important: when caregivers feel supported, patients feel the difference. Sometimes the strongest investments in healthcare are the ones that strengthen the people delivering it every day. Read more about how teams are strengthening the nursing experience and what it means for patient care across East Florida: https://bit.ly/3R09NJL

When Katherine Robinson lost her 11-year-old stepson, Max, everything changed in an instant. There was no time to prepare. No clear answers. Just the weight of an unimaginable loss. In the midst of that grief, her family made a decision rooted in who Max was. A decision that would go on to touch lives far beyond their own. Today, his legacy lives on in quiet but powerful ways. At a recent Donate Life Month event, Max’s family created a pinwheel garden filled with color, photos and memories. It became a space where grief and joy could exist side by side. A place where his siblings could laugh, remember and feel close to him without the heaviness that loss can bring. Those moments matter. They remind us that even in loss, there can be connection, purpose and a way to keep someone’s story moving forward.

Pickleball is having a moment, and in Polk County, it is making a difference. More than 100 community members came together to support breast cancer screenings and advanced imaging. Connection can be a powerful first step toward early detection.

More than 250 children and families in Charlotte County now have a place to feel supported as they navigate grief together. Valerie’s House is creating space for kids to share a meal, connect with others, and begin processing loss in a way that feels safe and understood. Supporting this work means showing up beyond traditional care, helping ensure families have connection, compassion, and a path forward.

Some of our favorite team members are not human. They do not carry a badge or chart in the EHR, but they know exactly when to sit beside someone who needs it. Therapy dogs bring a quiet kind of comfort to patients, families and team members, especially in moments that feel uncertain or overwhelming. It may look simple, but the impact is real. A calmer patient. A lighter moment in a long day. A brief pause that helps someone keep going. Those moments tend to stay with people. These four-legged team members are supporting care in ways that go beyond the clinical. https://bit.ly/4cLnnrp