Julianna Druyor, a former patient at Banner Behavioral Health Hospital, delivered about 50 care packages to current patients at the Scottsdale facility, according to a March 9 announcement. Druyor, who lives in Mesa and has faced mental health challenges since junior high, said she wants people experiencing mental illness to remember they are “never alone,” a message she has tattooed on her wrist.
The initiative aims to provide comfort and support for behavioral health patients during their hospital stay. Druyor assembled the care packages with help from her family and bible study group. The bags include items such as comfortable socks, coloring books, and handwritten letters with messages of hope—items inspired by her own experiences as a patient.
“Mental illness can be extremely isolating,” Druyor said. “Giving out these bags that are personally curated and decorated helps patients to know that there are other people out in the world who actually care about them.” She added, “This isn’t solving the problems people face when they leave, but it offers them comfort in the hospital. I’m not perfectly recovered — I still have struggles. But it’s important to remember that you can still give back even if you’re not perfect.”
Druyor was hospitalized multiple times between 2017 and 2022 due to bipolar disorder and severe anxiety. Since 2023, she reports significant improvement in her mental health and now seeks ways to support others facing similar challenges.
Banner Behavioral Health Hospital is part of Banner Health, which provides substantial community benefits through its nonprofit activities according to the official website. Banner Health operates facilities across several states including Arizona, California, Colorado, Nebraska, Nevada, and Wyoming according to the official website, and ranks among the largest nonprofit health systems in the nation according to the official website. The organization aims to simplify health care to improve quality of life as stated on the official website.
As more individuals like Druyor find ways to give back based on their personal experiences with mental illness or hospitalization, efforts such as these may offer additional comfort for those currently receiving treatment.
