In October 2023, Reading Hospital employee Tina Wehr and her family faced the heartbreaking decision to end lifesaving treatment for her 44-year-old brother, Chris McCann, a United States Marine Corps veteran who was injured in a traffic accident.
McCann was receiving care at another regional hospital, where families of veterans could have a special reading ceremony that included receiving a United States flag in honor of their loved one.
“It was such a comfort,” she said. “Our family still talks about it. Yes, Chris passed away, but we honored his military service which was so important to him.”
Wehr was so touched by the honor that she brought the idea back to Reading Hospital, in hopes that our local families could feel the same support she did in her brother’s final moments. She received a positive response shortly after emailing Charles F Barbera, MD, Reading Hospital president and CEO. He fully supported the project and assembled a team, led by Vinti Shah, DO, Chief, Division of Hospice and Palliative Medicine, to make it happen.
“I’m so glad Tina shared this idea,” Barbera said. “Our team members care not only care for their patients, but for their loved ones as well while they grieve. We want to do everything we can to make their experience with us more meaningful.”
The program was co-led by Dr. Shah and Amanda Miller, DNP, RN, NEA-BC, Senior Director, Critical Care Division as a multi-departmental effort between nursing, security, IT, palliative medicine, spiritual care, and others. The Reading Hospital Foundation donated the flags which were presented to families as a keepsake.
“Our goal overall is to help provide some sense of peace and meaning to the lives our patients lead,” Shah said. “I felt the whole project embodied who we are as an organization and was honored to be a part of it.” The reading and presentation of the flag to the family is an honor that has been given to the security team because they have numerous veterans. To date, his team has distributed 17 flags to families in the community.
“Many on our team come from a veteran or first responder background so the opportunity to recognize these individuals is personal,” said Brian Swearingen, director of security at Tower Health and an Army veteran himself. “Participating in the ceremony is a true honor, and we are deeply committed to supporting fellow veterans and their families.”
For Wehr and her family, the ceremony provided comfort and meaning, and she hopes the same will be true for the individuals at Reading Hospital who choose to participate. She is proud to have been a part of bringing the program to Reading Hospital to honor the life and legacy of her big brother. “At Reading Hospital, we are a family who support one another,” Shah said. “And because Tina is our family, by extension, Chris is also our family.”