BATON ROUGE—During Breast Cancer Awareness Month we're highlighting a unique boutique offered inside Baton Rouge General that helps the hospital beyond surgical and medical treatment.

Inside the Baton Rouge General Gift Shop sits a truly unique resource: the Healing Boutique. This 4,000-square-foot, full-service retail store is specifically stocked with products and gifts for cancer patients, transforming the hospital experience into a one-stop shop for both medical and personal needs.

The boutique is not just a place for gifts. It is the only facility in Baton Rouge to offer certain essential items and fitting services for cancer patients.

"The only place in town that does wig fittings and fittings for prosthesis," noted Shelley Nydegger, Baton Rouge General Gift Shop Manager. "That is a treat because otherwise people are having to order things online, and you just don't get the specialized treatment you get here."

The convenience of the location, situated at the hospital off Bluebonnet Boulevard, is a key benefit. The easy access is designed to reduce stress for patients navigating appointments. "It's less trips for them," Nydegger said. "They can go to their appointments, come here and get the things they need and just make it easier on them."

While it may feel like a retail escape, shopping at the Healing Boutique also directly benefits patient care at Baton Rouge General. All proceeds from sales go back to the hospital, funding various medical, comfort, and safety upgrades.

"We've used the money in the past to buy a mammography machine for our Mid City location," Nydegger explained, adding that funds have also gone toward "security vehicles that ride around the hospital to make sure our patients and customers are safe getting to and from their cars."

The money also supports patient comfort, having been used to upgrade the sofa and chairs in hospital rooms.

"We call this the happiest place in the hospital because they go to their appointments, but then they look forward to coming here after or waiting between appointments," Nydegger concluded. "It really is their happy place."