Atwater clinic makes its halls glisten with light, joy

The halls are decked with holiday spirit at Castle Family Health Centers in Atwater, where patients and families marveled Monday at the festive display.

With lights, wreaths, stockings and nearly a dozen Christmas trees, the main corridor connecting waiting rooms to the clinic’s warehouse has been transformed into a “Winter Wonderland.”

Ed Lujano, chief executive of the centers, said the spectacle was a staff effort. Employees brought Christmas ornaments from home, and many helped decorate during their lunch breaks, he said.

“Everyone pulled together to create this atmosphere for patients,” Lujano said. “We’ve been doing this for six or seven years, but every year it gets bigger, our staff gets more creative.”

Giving the halls a bit of liveliness lifts people’s spirits, he said.

On Monday, children walked down the hall in awe, while parents photographed the scene. Some, like Isabel Altamirano of Atwater, made a quick stop at the clinic just to take in the display. She is a patient at Castle and her 2-year-old son, Joshua, she said, is a big fan of Christmas decorations.

“He loves lights,” she said. “I think it’s a sweet idea.”

Five patients were chosen by lottery to receive free Christmas trees, said Mirna Villarreal, business office manager at Castle. The idea, she said, came from hearing stories from patients who couldn’t afford trees.

Providers and staff in the billing department interact daily with patients and get to know many on a personal level: They know which patients could benefit from a free Christmas tree, she said.

Villarreal recalled one 8-year-old boy who walked into the clinic with his grandmother. “He was amazed by how many trees we had, and they did not have one,” she said. “That day, he took a small one home.”

The decorations also boost the holiday spirit for employees. Debbie Rodrigues, who works at the clinic’s materials warehouse, said promoting joy and the holiday spirit is one way to give back to the community and to staff.

“This is mostly for patients, but we get a kick out of it, too,” she said. “Not a lot of people can afford Christmas, so we do what we can to help.”

This story was originally published December 21, 2015 at 5:50 PM with the headline "Atwater clinic makes its halls glisten with light, joy."