LaMont Taylor, a security team member at St. Vincent Behavioral Health at SSM Health DePaul Hospital - St. Louis, is changing the lives of kids who are patients.
“I was spending some time with the kids when I noticed a girl write a note to one of the boys. You know, kids will be kids,” Taylor said. “I asked the young man why he hadn’t read the note yet, and he said, ‘because I can’t read.’”
At that moment, LaMont put the SSM Health Mission into motion. He talked to the caregivers on the unit and asked if he could spend time helping the young man learn to read. Three weeks later, they’ve completed their second book and LaMont is heading to the library to pick up a third.
“He says he enjoys it,” Taylor said. “I’ve even offered a day off to take a break from reading, but he says he doesn’t want to stop.”
LaMont spends about 20 to 30 minutes working on reading each day with the young man. This is time spent going above and beyond his job responsibilities and proving that exceptional care is made possible by every member of the SSM Health team.
“I just get the enjoyment of watching him learn and grow,” Taylor said. “It makes me feel like I’m doing something right.”
Now, another patient has asked for help, but this time it’s math skills that are needed so LaMont is expanding his course offerings.
“We talked a little bit about multiplication and division,” Taylor said. “Then, I went home and printed multiplication tables for a group of kids on the unit.”
The LaMont Taylor tutoring group is definitely growing fast and the students are eager to learn from a man who has shown he has a heart for them.
Thank you LaMont Taylor for living the Mission and helping these special patients heal a little bit more each day.
