By: Lauren McRae

Highland Park Hospital Labor and Delivery Unit Concierge Linda Fletcher celebrated her twentieth anniversary with NorthShore recently, a role that she has used to provide extra caring, whimsy and kindness to each newborn and their family.

Many years ago, Fletcher took it upon herself to start decorating the pink and blue caps given to newborns. Sometimes the hats are holiday- themed; others are adorned with cute animals or flowers for girl infants. Fletcher buys the supplies herself and sews each one by hand for the 1,200-1,300 babies born each year at Highland Park Hospital.

“She picks out the fabric for each holiday and is very particular. She puts a lot of time into it, and the patients just love them,” said LDRP Clinical Nurse Manager Veronica Priest, RN, MSN.

“She's so well-regarded on the unit. She’s like our ambassador, greeting everyone and lightening the mood with her humor,” said Priest. “When she’s not here, we all definitely miss her.”