To us, here at Cincinnati Children’s, the word family is used a lot. We do not simply take care of our patients, but rather we take it a step further and strive to include caring for our patients’ entire families. We also use the word family when talking about our fellow coworkers. Working every day in such a stimulating, compassionate and sometimes stressful environment causes us to grow closer than work strangers; we are a work family.
That is why we are so excited when one of “our” little ones grows up to do something big. In the Radiology Department, one of “our” family members is making great strides to help those in healthcare and on the frontline during the pandemic. Amy Tiefermann (the daughter of one of our MRI technologists, Jan Tiefermann) and two of her coworkers from Oscar de LaRenta in NYC were furloughed last March. During this uncertain time, they decided as a group that they wanted to make disposable hospital gowns for the frontline hospital workers.
Everything was completed on a volunteer basis. They delivered their first batch of 300 gowns early in March, and then subsequently started a Go Fund Me called “Garment District for Gowns” where they received over $70,000 in donations. With these donations and a grant issued by the state of New York, they were able to make and deliver over 300,000 gowns to nearby hospitals. In addition, some factories in the garment district were able to re-open because they were now making essential items.
Although the COVID-19 pandemic was certainly the motivator for Amy’s shift from pure fashion to healthcare outfitting, she was definitely influenced by her mother and a few of us in the Radiology Department. We were able to show her how we use our gowns and share our likes and dislikes overall. With our opinions in hand, Amy and her partners have gone on to positively affect hospitals in their area.
Since then, they have started a for-profit healthcare outfitting company, but continue to give 10% of their profits back to their non-for-profit organization. It goes without saying, Jan and the rest of us in the Cincinnati Children’s Radiology Department are beyond proud of “our” little girl. Even though she didn’t follow in our exact footsteps, we are thrilled to see she is keeping healthcare close to her heart.
(Photo: Jan Tiefermann (black dress) and Amy Tiefermann (white coat))
Meredith Towbin, copy editor
I love it! You did such a nice job with the story and I can’t wait to share with Amy!