Bringing Comfort to Our Littlest Patients

Bubble wands, Hot Wheels and Barbie dolls are not something you associate with an emergency room — unless you are a pediatric patient at Saint Joseph Jessamine. There, ER technician Irina Dulina heads the Toy Chest project, created to bring comfort to scared kids who are there for treatment.

While her job duties range from rooming patients to assisting other staff, Irina shops for toys and other items to comfort kids who end up in the Saint Joseph Jessamine ER. Nurse Tammy Goni founded the Toy Chest, receiving a Daisy Award for it, and Irina later took the helm. She often shops with her own funds; toys also are donated.

“A large number of our patients are children,” Irina explained. “And anyone who’s ever worked in a clinical setting knows it can be a scary experience for a child. Tammy and I recognized this and sought out ways to create a better patient experience for the little ones.”

What started with the purchase of two tablet computers, on which kids could stream children’s programs, has grown to become the Toy Chest — large, handled bins filled with toys, tablets, stickers, coloring books and other items. A supply closet is filled with goodies. 

“One of the organization’s values is compassion and helping those who are vulnerable. Who could be in a more vulnerable state than somebody who’s experiencing a medical emergency they weren’t prepared for? So we try to comfort those in need of healing and display our care by listening and treating and just showing compassion daily,” Irina said. “It is mesmerizing to see how a small act of kindness as simple as providing a small toy to a child can change the entire patient experience.”

She also is involved within her community on behalf of Saint Joseph Jessamine, raising awareness of the hospital by participating at local events like the Jessamine County Wine and Vine Festival, county fair and Kids Safety Day.

“I feel like having a good standing in the community is so important — one of our missions is to fight for the vulnerable and show compassion and show integrity. I feel like being out there and making ourselves known is how we do that,” she said.

Irina also volunteers with her church at a local food bank and has gone on mission trips in Central America aimed at helping children. As the oldest of seven in her large family, working with kids is a role that comes naturally.

Immigrating from Ukraine as a child, Irina moved to Kentucky in 2018 from California, where she was a volunteer at the University of California Davis Cancer Center, organizing events for pediatric cancer patients and their families. The experience “is what really drew me into health care,” Irina said. She’s been working at Saint Joseph Jessamine since 2022.

Besides being a CNA, Irina is certified as a phlebotomist and medical assistant, but she said she always wants to do more for patients, so she has applied to the nursing program at Bluegrass Community and Technical College.

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