Painting positive images of Westerly Hospital

Just like last year, two buoys painted by creative caregivers at Westerly Hospital will adorn the annual Stonington Lobster Trap Tree, sponsored by the Ocean Community Chamber of Commerce, and this year both entries provide a little humor – and a little education.

The buoys – which will hang with hundreds of others (and be viewed by people who visit the lobster trap tree each holiday season) – were created by Ashley Broccoli, a surgical tech in the Operating Room, and Cathy Urso, an endoscopy tech.

Broccoli definitely went for the funny bone with her entry, painting a rendering of the popular board game “Operation.” Just like the game, the patient on her buoy has all the dubious ailments that the original make-believe patient suffered in the game that debuted in the 1960s and still sells today.

“Our buoy patient has butterflies in the stomach, a broken heart, an Adam’s apple, a wish bone, a funny bone, a Charley horse, writer’s cramp and water on the knee,” Broccoli said. “We looked them all up to make sure we were getting them right.”

In contrast, Urso’s buoy provides a subtle public service announcement. Since she works in Endoscopy, the buoy reminds everyone to get a colonoscopy to screen for cancer when the time is right. “Saving lives one colon at a time,” states her buoy, adding: “A healthy colon is a happy colon.” Like Broccoli’s, her buoy references Westerly Hospital on the flip side.

Westerly Hospital pays the entry fee for each buoy as part of its community sponsorships. “We love doing this each year, and I’m always so impressed with the thoughtful entries created by our talented staff members,” said Carrie Kenyon, RN, Westerly Hospital executive director of Patient Care Services. “Ashley and Cathy knocked it out of the park this year, and the underlying messages tell people that we’re here for them if they need compassionate care.”

As Broccoli said, “There’s a lot of anxiety when it comes to any procedure or surgery, and I think these buoys bring a little bit of lightness to those anxiety-driven experiences. It’s kind of like, ‘We’re here for you, and it’s not as bad as you think. Let us take good care of you.’”