Carolyn is an RN patient navigator for St.Vincent Cancer Care. She displays the core values and mission of St. Vincent with every patient she serves. The role of the patient navigator is to assist patients with barriers to care, provide clinical and psycho-social support, and to help streamline care. Carolyn goes above and beyond to assist patients with their complex needs, and she always does it with compassion, reverence, integrity and dedication.

Carolyn recently had a patient who had many barriers to care. He is a refugee, speaks an uncommon language (a native dialect within his country), has a low education level, no transportation, and no income or insurance. His treatment included several weeks of daily radiation and several cycles of chemotherapy. Carolyn tirelessly searched for resources to assist him and never gave up. She found and coordinated a translator to make sure we could communicate effectively with him and him with us, she coordinated daily transportation for him, and she attended ALL of his treatments, often spending full days with him to be sure he got from one appointment to the next. She was the one constant in his care, and they developed a very close bond. I can't imagine how this gentleman would have gotten through his cancer treatment without Carolyn, and I have no doubt that her involvement in his care greatly impacted his changes of survival.

Carolyn holds our mission in her heart - to care for poor and vulnerable - and she does so with dignity and respect for all. This is just one of the many examples of how Carolyn goes above and beyond and why she is so deserving of this DAISY Award.