Every day, South County Health staff provide exceptional clinical care. There are also the stories of kindness, compassion and community. This is one of those stories.

When Maria Greene, Ward Secretary, learned that an elderly patient with dementia couldn’t be discharged from South County Hospital because her condition had worsened and she had no next of kin, she and her colleagues stepped up to make the patient’s extended stay as comfortable as possible. Meanwhile, social workers worked through the complex process of securing court-appointed guardianship and placement—a process no one realized would take several months. Maria saw her spend Thanksgiving in a hospital bed. Christmas without cards. A birthday without cake.

"She needed more than medical care," Maria says simply. "She needed to know someone cared."

What followed was a quiet revolution of kindness. Staff members pooled resources to buy slippers, nightgowns, and small comforts that transformed a sterile room into something closer to home. Beth, one of our nurse practitioners, even spent her own time dyeing the patient's hair when she mentioned feeling self-conscious about her appearance.

The patient became part of the Frost 3 family—making her daily laps, sharing gentle conversations, receiving warm greetings from everyone who passed.
After nearly three months, placement was finally secured at a local nursing home. Most stories would end there.

Maria's didn't.

Every Saturday, when other residents receive visits from family, Maria drives to the nursing home. She sits. She listens. She makes sure her friend knows she hasn't been forgotten. The Frost 3 staff continue to send clothing and gifts through Maria, their connection to a woman who touched their hearts simply by needing them.

"I just think about her being alone," Maria explains. "Everyone deserves to have someone show up."

This is the impact of your generosity. When you support South County Hospital Foundation, you're not just funding equipment or programs—you're empowering extraordinary people like Maria Greene who sees beyond the chart, beyond the diagnosis, to the human beings who need compassion as much as care.

Maria Greene has served as a Ward Secretary on Frost 3 for 30 years, embodying the compassion and dedication that defines South County Hospital.