FLOWER MOUND
VOLUNTEERS by Jade Kensington
photos courtesy of Texas Health Presbyterian, Flower Mound
“ W E D I D N O T HAVE AN Y S TAF F I N G I S S UES BEC A U SE O F T RA C Y’ S G RO U P. T HEY K EP T O U R H OSPITAL WOR K ER S S A FE. T H E Y K EPT T H E H O S PI TA L STA FFED, A N D A S A RESU LT , T HE PAT IEN T S HER E W ER E A BLE T O CO N T I N UE RECE I VIN G T HE C A RE A N D T REAT M EN T REQ U IRED.”
T
he Facebook group Flower Mound People Helping People was created by local resident Tracy Black at the start of the pandemic last spring to help aid community members in need during the newly unprecedented times. As the group evolved over the months, they expanded their volunteerism to include monitoring elderly residents who needed groceries to donating hot meals and snacks to frontline workers. During this past winter storm, Tracy and volunteers from the Facebook group came together to help healthcare workers get to and from their shifts at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Flower Mound. Tracy and his wife have lived in Flower Mound for over 26 years. Before relocating to Texas, they lived in Minneapolis and learned to drive and
40 | FLOWER MOUND TOWN LIFE | MARCH 2021
safely navigate through the snow and wintry conditions. The hospital’s Director of Marketing, Pam Petrides, stated that without Tracy and his group of volunteers, the hospital would have faced a staffing shortage. “I can’t tell you how many text messages Tracy and I exchanged in order to help coordinate rides for our frontline workers who keep
our hospital staffed around the clock.” Many of the healthcare professionals live in neighboring cities. Therefore, the volunteers drove anywhere from Fort Worth to Denton in order to get hospital employees to and from work safely. “We were so fortunate,” Pam said. “We did not have any staffing issues because of Tracy’s group. They kept our hospital workers safe. They kept the hospital staffed, and as a result, the patients here were able to continue receiving the care and treatment required.” At the beginning of the pandemic, Tracy had asked Pam if he could help coordinate www.LiveLocalPublications.com
