'Kilt The Virus': RWJ Somerset Doctor Wears Kilts To Bring Smiles

HILLSBOROUGH, NJ — From yoga pants to kilts, Dr. Marc Milano is known for sporting funky attire to boost morale at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Somerset.

In April, Milano began sporting crazy and funky yoga pants when the coronavirus first hit. Now that the second wave is hitting again, Milano upped the ante to begin wearing kilts every week as part of his #KiltTheVirus campaign.

"It was more than an evolution, it was a quantum shift," said Milano of changing to kilts.

Milano, a Hillsborough resident, has served as Chairman to the Emergency Department for the past 12 years. During the pandemic, Milano has seen how the virus has taken a toll on staff members at the hospital.

"This wave of the virus is a little different than the first time around. We know more about it," said Milano. "The team really buckled down and got through the first wave of COVID but the overall emotional and mental stability took a toll. It's like being at war. You don't know what you went through until you are out of it and then to go back again."

After the first wave, Milano said staff members were able to recover a bit during the summer but then when the numbers started to creep back up it became worrisome.

"In October people realized this was not a joke and then November it was like a tidal wave again," said Milano.

That is why Milano brought out the kilts to distract staff and patients from the hardship of the virus.

"I saw my neighbor Kevin, who is from Scotland, leaving the house to go to an event in a kilt in his driveway and said, 'Dude, do you have any I can borrow?!' And the next day he brought over a few," said Milano.

Milano went to the hospital on Nov. 17 wearing the kilt.

"I just showed up one day, unannounced. And I got the same reaction as the pants. People stopped what they were doing and started laughing," said Milano. "That's the whole plan is to give people something to talk about and keep their mind off work. Just rally around each other."

Starting Friday, Milano is inviting other staff members to join him in wearing a kilt to bring smiles to the hospital. He is hoping to make this a weekly event.

You can follow Milano's kilt journey with the hashtag #kiltthevirus on his facebook.com/marc.milano.5851.

• Related: Hillsborough Doctor's Crazy Pants, Brings Smiles To RWJ Somerset

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