A new and growing trend in hospitals is sponsoring a “patient experience” book club where hospital staff gets together to discuss medical-themed books.
The Flushing Hospital Medical Library has been hosting such a book club for over a year now. The Library Book Club members are a diverse group of individuals representing various backgrounds. They meet bi-monthly to discuss a book selected by Robin Dornbaum the hospital’s librarian.
The book can be fiction or nonfiction but it is always about a main character living through a health challenge. Library Book Club members have discussed books such as the Mountains Beyond Mountains and The Quest of Dr. Paul Farmer.
“Our book club has taken very important lessons from our discussions. We have learned that we are all citizens of the world and must help, even in small ways, to fight public health epidemics around the world,” stated Robin Dornbaum.
The Library Book Club at Flushing Hospital has been growing in popularity, as it provides a place for staff and members of the community to share personal and professional experiences related to the subject of the book. “Our discussions are thought-provoking, and help members to empathize with characters in the books as well as those we may know experiencing similar challenges with their health,” shared member Anne Marie Denicola of Flushing Hospital’s Gift Shop.
If you are interested in joining the Flushing Hospital Library Book club or are interested in learning about or reading past book selections, please contact Mrs. Robin Dornbaum at rdornbau.flushing@jhmc.org or call 718 670 5653.