In the community

Prisma Health’s two Children’s Hospitals lit up the night and sparked holiday cheer in the hearts of young patients and their families during the annual Good Night Lights events in December.

In Columbia, first responders and lots of friends came out to support pediatric patients and their families with a festive light show. The first responders paraded around Prisma Health Richland campus (pictured), shining lights toward the patients’ windows to help spread well wishes, positive thoughts and the holiday spirit as children answered back with their own flashlights. Patients were treated to a prerecorded bedtime story by the hospital’s medical director as a special way to end the night.

“Being in the hospital is hard for children and their families, especially so during the holidays,” said Caughman Taylor, MD, medical director of Children’s Hospital–Midlands. “Good Night Lights is a heartwarming way to send bright beams of well wishes in a way we know helps the children in their healing and families in their ability to get through difficult times.”

In Greenville, people decorated their cars and shined lights from the parking lot into hospital rooms, sending their own cheery messages, while children in the hospital looked down and shined a light back.

“It is wonderful when the community comes out and says to the children upstairs, ‘We know you’re there, we know that you and your families are going through an incredible health journey, and we want you to know we care and we’re thinking about you,’ ” said Robin LaCroix, MD, Medical Director at Children’s Hospital–Upstate.

Prisma Health was proud to sponsor Riverbanks Zoo’s Santa’s Village in Columbia, where 23 team member volunteers helped children and families create holiday cards and write well wishes to patients at Prisma Health Children’s Hospital–Midlands. More than 72,000 people visited Santa’s Village to spread cheer to our inpatients.