May 2024
Caitlin
Cooney
,
MSN, RN
6 GPU
Henry Ford Wyandotte Hospital
Wyandotte
,
MI
United States
Caitlin tirelessly advocated for the patient, tapping into resources and networks to ensure her needs were met.
A 90-year-old woman, visiting family in the United States, found herself hospitalized at Henry Ford Wyandotte with underlying metastatic malignancy. The oncologist and family reviewed options and ultimately decided to forgo biopsy and focus on symptom management with pain control and antiemetics with her ultimate goal to go home to Mexico to be with family on her final days of life. To complicate things further, she was uninsured in the United States. Fortunately, her path intersected with a compassionate healthcare team, including a case manager who recognized her new need for oxygen, with financial barriers. Caitlin Cooney worked to secure the oxygen for her, knowing it was essential for her well-being and her journey back home to Mexico. Navigating insurance hurdles and financial constraints, Caitlin tirelessly advocated for the patient, tapping into resources and networks to ensure her needs were met. Through persistence and collaboration with our partners Heart Medical, arrangements were made to cover the cost of the patients oxygen supply through our patient needs fund, alleviating the burden of uncertainty that loomed for her and her family. With the retrieval of the oxygen supplies, she was able to return to her home in Mexico through the collaborative efforts of dedicated individuals and the availability of the patient needs fund. This patient's story reminds us of the profound impact of extending a helping hand to those in need and how fragile life is. Thank you, Caitlin Cooney!