Eric Gary offers more than security to patients, staff at Memorial Hospital Central

In a busy hospital where many patients and their families go through times of turmoil, it’s not surprising that a wallet, a purse, a ring or a cellphone might be forgotten or misplaced.

Eric Gary, a security supervisor at UCHealth Memorial Hospital Central, makes sure that many lost items find their way back to their owners. For items that remain unclaimed, Gary makes sure the lost items benefit others.

His most important responsibility during his shifts is to ensure the safety of patients, visitors and staff at the hospital. But Gary recently took extra time for another job: creating an inventory of cash and other items that had remained unclaimed for at least 30 days.

Gary sorted through cellphones, laptops and other electronics and followed the hospital’s protocols, confirming that coworkers had done all they could to return the items to their owners. He then contacted the hospital’s information technology experts, who removed data from the devices so Gary could donate the items to a local women’s shelter.

The effort was worth it, Gary said.

“It’s just me lending a helping hand when I can,” he said. “I want to see something positive in the world.”

Gary took another step toward that goal recently with a Friday afternoon visit to the offices of the UCHealth Memorial Hospital Foundation, the main fundraising arm for UCHealth in southern Colorado. Gary greeted Development Manager Michelle Reich by announcing he had a gift to deliver.

“He handed me a zip-lock bag filled with quarters, nickels and dimes and said, ‘here you go,’” Reich recalled. After a few chuckles, Gary also handed her some unclaimed cash in varying denominations. The cash offered a bit of a boost to the foundation’s philanthropic programs, including varieties of patient assistance and improvements in care.

The good cheer Gary brought to the visit was typical, Reich said.

“When Eric’s around, you just know things are going to get taken care of,” she said. “His smile just makes you feel so warm.”

Alegra Smith, manager of security at Memorial Hospital Central, said Gary has made a strong impression on many people in the nearly three years he’s worked at the hospital.

“He is a social butterfly times 20,” Smith said. “It’s nice to see people light up when he walks around the facility.”

Smith added that she wasn’t surprised that Gary took on responsibility for looking for owners and then clearing out the items from the hospital lost-and-found and unclaimed valuables storage units.

“He wants to make sure everything is done properly,” she said. “If you task him with something, he is going to make sure it gets done right. Overall, he is just a fantastic human being.”

Gary is grateful to hospital providers and staff members for the lifesaving surgery he received there for a serious heart problem. He cites it as the reason he works at the hospital. The gratitude spurs him to support the people he encounters on the job, many of whom are enduring tough times.

“I meet a lot of great patients,” he said. “Some are going through a lot; some are just having a bad day. Everybody has a different story, from different walks of life. I meet them not as strangers or foes but as new friends.”