Nourishment Improves Nurses' Morale

During a Shared Governance Committee meeting in April 2023, caregivers in the surgical intensive care unit (SICU) at Cleveland Clinic Indian River Hospital shared that they were sometimes unable to eat a meal during breaks.

“Nurses didn’t have enough time to buy food from the cafeteria, eat their meal and relax,” says Heidi Bacon, BSN, RN, a clinical and charge nurse in the SICU of the Vero Beach, Fla., hospital. “They also felt like it was a burden to ask a colleague to cover their patients while they grabbed food from the cafeteria.”

Bacon offered a solution, suggesting that food be made available on the unit. That was the start of the SICU Honor Mart.

Healthy food, reasonably priced

The SICU Honor Mart, located in the caregiver break room, features shelving with a variety of food, including protein bars and shakes, fruit, nuts, snacks, sandwich supplies, ramen noodles and eggs with an egg cooker.

“We wanted to make the food healthy and reasonably priced,” says Bacon, who volunteered to oversee the Honor Mart.

All items cost $1, and nurses place payment through a slot in a locked container. There’s a sign posted nearby outlining expectations: “Take what you need but be honest and pay for it as it will then always be available for anyone in need.”

Prior to opening the SICU Honor Mart, members of the Shared Governance Committee surveyed caregivers to determine what food they wanted. Bacon shops once or twice a month at a local bulk food store and keeps the shelves stocked using proceeds from the Honor Mart.

“Some of the employees at the store know me now and will say, ‘Oh, the nurses are eating good this week!’” she says.

A small gesture makes a big impact

One month after launching the Honor Mart, the Shared Governance Committee surveyed caregivers to assess the effectiveness of the initiative. The survey revealed that clinical nurses utilized the Honor Mart, approved of the food selection and felt it improved their wellbeing and helped reduce stress.

“Nurses tell me how much they appreciate the Honor Mart, and they let me know when items are running low or if they’d like to see something new,” says Bacon.

One day while she was shopping, Bacon saw small bags of tortilla chips with individual cups of salsa. She purchased the items, thinking of one of her colleagues in particular who craves chips and salsa. “I placed them in the Honor Mart with a little note to the nurse saying, ‘Who loves you?’” says Bacon.

Nearly two years after its inception, the SICU Honor Mart is going strong and has been adopted by other units at Indian River Hospital.

“Nursing can be a stressful job, and this is a small thing we can do to support them,” says Bacon. “It improves morale and helps caregivers feel like they are noticed and valued.”