“I think the nurses play a crucial and often unacknowledged role in the patient experience,” says Roger Leventer. “They are with the patients 24/7, and their level of engagement and real time understanding is remarkable.”
Leventer, a longtime member of the Johns Hopkins family, lost his wife to an almost seven-year battle with colorectal cancer in 2014. His two sons struggled with the loss. After witnessing the expert care and compassion his wife received during her time at the Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins, Leventer knew he needed to bring his son to Johns Hopkins when, less than a year later, he required surgery on his legs due to a birth defect.
During his son’s stay, Leventer became familiar with the nurses’ routines and procedures. Although he was incredibly thankful for the care his son received, it became evident that the boy was struggling to hit milestones in his recovery due to his mental health. It was an issue, Leventer felt, that demanded greater attention.
“There’s a mental health component whenever anyone goes to the hospital,” Leventer says. “Anxiety plays a role in everyone’s experience and needs to be managed by the entire care team.”
Recognizing that training care providers on how to address mental health in patients’ care and recovery is essential, Leventer donated $10,000 to the Johns Hopkins Pediatric Nursing Department. Thanks to the donation, earmarked specifically for crisis-prevention trainings, 10 nurses became certified in crisis prevention by the international training organization Crisis Prevention Institute, allowing them to create workshops to train staff members how to address or defuse a challenging incident before it escalates to a crisis situation.
“I feel empowered and honored to educate fellow staff on how to implement these skills properly,” says nurse Ashley Lippert. “I hope this will inspire change in organizational culture and foster better relationships between hospital staff and the patients and families we serve.”
During a follow-up roundtable discussion among Leventer, nurse managers, educators and nursing leadership, the nurses expressed their gratitude for the funding of the program while honestly sharing their daily struggles. The conversation inspired Leventer to increase his donation to $20,000 each year for the next five years, making it the largest gift pediatric nursing has ever received. Leventer left the use of these funds up to the discretion of nursing leadership, “putting more control into the hands of the nurses,” he says.
Although nurses play a vital role in the hospital, their impact often goes unnoticed. Leventer’s gift has already boosted their morale.
“It’s a powerful message that our nurses were recognized for the great work they do and that there’s someone out there who is committed to their growth,” says Dawn Luzetsky, interim director of pediatric nursing. “The mere fact that we can say to nurses that someone recognized them and wanted to support them is amazing.”
Although there are no restrictions on how the money will be used, Luzetsky says Nurses Week, Nurses Scholars Day, professional development, education and conferences are on the list of possible purposes.
Leventer has remained vocal about his experiences at Johns Hopkins Children’s Center. Serving on multiple boards across the Kimmel Cancer Center and the Children’s Center, including the Pediatric Family Advisory Council, he continues to be an advocate for patients throughout the hospital. He also hopes his donations will promote the idea that any donation, no matter the size, can make a difference.
“If it’s meaningful to you, it’s remarkably meaningful to them,” Leventer says. “You don’t have to give $160 million to be a rock star to a nurse or doctor who is trying to help sick kids.”
For more information on how you can support pediatric nursing, email [email protected].