ORANGE PARK – Hospitals are a place to treat the sick and recover from illness, but creating a family atmosphere can make a big difference in improving the quality of care.

Food and nutrition services department specialist Amber Woolsey was born at HCA Florida Orange Park Hospital. She also leaned on the hospital during both her and her mother’s struggle with cancer. Woolsey has worked at the hospital for about a decade since she was 19 years old.

In 2010, Woolsey’s mother underwent chemotherapy for up to 15 hours a day. Woolsey made sure her mother received nourishment during the treatment regimen. A passion for nutrition emerged, she said.

Woolsey referred to the hospital as her foundation, recalling her co-worker’s efforts after her mother died, such as setting up a fundraiser.

“This hospital became a family for me,” Woolsey said. “Everyone here opened up their garage, or they would say, ‘Stay on our couch, eat at our table.’”

Woolsey was treated for kidney cancer in 2015, and she spent three months at the hospital.

“I was in this hospital for three months and not once did I sit in there by myself. It’s so touching that they cared about little old me (who works) in dietary,” Woolsey said.

Working at the hospital you were born at is a weird feeling, she said, albeit rewarding. For Woolsey, it’s about asking what she can do to help and taking the initiative, adding she wouldn’t have it any other way.

“What an honor to be here, I work here and I was born here,” Woolsey said.

Feeding patients remains a critical part of any hospital’s fabric. Her job can entail anything from preparing food, assisting with the doctor’s lounge or lending a hand in the cafeteria.

“It’s wherever they need, whatever to satisfy someone,” she said.

Food staff is much-need during a disaster. During hurricanes Matthew and Irma, in 2016 and 2017 respectively, she volunteered to stay and feed patients. That philosophy extended to the COVID-19 pandemic, she said.

“We were in a mobile unit,” Woolsey said. “When COVID hit, we had to prepackage everything.”

Woolsey said food staff quickly learn about hygienic practices, supplements and best practices. If certain foods aren’t grounded down, the patient could choke.

Woolsey said food is medicine, but it must be delivered properly if a person is diabetic for example.

“You don’t know how important it is,” she said. “With some of the food, you can’t just put it on a plate.”