Darla Pattison
March 2022
Darla
Pattison
,
RN
Erie VA Medical Center
Erie
,
PA
United States
Had nurse Pattison not been in charge, I doubt things would have gone as smoothly as they did.
I nominated Darla Pattison for her professionalism, compassion, competence, and experience. She works as the Patient Care Facilitator and is respected and admired by her peers and colleagues. In the evening she managed an emotionally unstable suicidal veteran throughout the night both directly, and by coordinating the services of nursing, physician (myself), police, medical administrative assistant, crisis services, and Emergycare ambulance services. A 302 involuntary commitment form had been signed by Dr. M, and the patient had been accepted at the Pittsburgh VA University Drive inpatient unit for behavioral health services. When asked, EmergyCare notified us that due to severe weather conditions (constant ambulance calls due to numerous motor vehicle accidents within the metro Erie Pennsylvania area), they did not have enough staff to transport the patient to Pittsburgh that night; they did tell us that they could spare staff to take the patient locally to Millcreek Community Hospital.
The medical administrative assistant made numerous calls (about every hour) to Millcreek Community Hospital to find out if they had accepted this behavioral health patient, who had already been medically screened. We were informed on numerous occasions that they were expecting their behavioral health physician to call shortly. They explained that there were delays due to accepting numerous behavioral health patients from St. Vincent's Hospital simultaneously.
Nurse Darla Pattison coordinated the care of this patient in the urgent care center by obtaining the assistance of one of the PRRTP nurses, placing one of the police officers in the room adjacent to the patient, and placing herself in the urgent care center. Nurse Pattison had already made preparations to be able to access parenteral psychotropic medications should they be needed (the patient was displaying concerning symptoms such as talking to himself, hearing voices, and had refused to get on the stretcher when it was brought in by EmergyCare staff). We did not know what time the patient was going to be transported to Millcreek Community Hospital, but the reassuring message we received from Mill Creek behavioral health was that transfer was imminent.
Nurse J from Mental Health Psychosocial Residential Rehabilitation Treatment Program (MHRRTP) excelled in keeping the veteran calm and explaining the transfer process. Nurse Pattison helped us with staffing so that this way the patient had 2 nurses watching him and attending to his needs at all times. Although she stayed in the urgent care center, she was also coordinating staffing and clinical care for other patients remotely. Thus this veteran was kept safe in a secure environment (most of the doors in the urgent care center have PIV control). Ultimately the veteran was transferred to Millcreek Community Hospital the next morning and as of the time I left at about 7:08 AM, had not required any psychotropic medications, and had been managed by redirection and reassurances. The crisis services coordinator did call me that evening to let the hospitalist service know that the patient was being treated at Mill Creek community Hospital. Had nurse Pattison not been in charge, I doubt things would have gone as smoothly as they did. She went above and beyond her numerous obligations, did not have any breaks during the night, and made sure this patient stayed safe.
The medical administrative assistant made numerous calls (about every hour) to Millcreek Community Hospital to find out if they had accepted this behavioral health patient, who had already been medically screened. We were informed on numerous occasions that they were expecting their behavioral health physician to call shortly. They explained that there were delays due to accepting numerous behavioral health patients from St. Vincent's Hospital simultaneously.
Nurse Darla Pattison coordinated the care of this patient in the urgent care center by obtaining the assistance of one of the PRRTP nurses, placing one of the police officers in the room adjacent to the patient, and placing herself in the urgent care center. Nurse Pattison had already made preparations to be able to access parenteral psychotropic medications should they be needed (the patient was displaying concerning symptoms such as talking to himself, hearing voices, and had refused to get on the stretcher when it was brought in by EmergyCare staff). We did not know what time the patient was going to be transported to Millcreek Community Hospital, but the reassuring message we received from Mill Creek behavioral health was that transfer was imminent.
Nurse J from Mental Health Psychosocial Residential Rehabilitation Treatment Program (MHRRTP) excelled in keeping the veteran calm and explaining the transfer process. Nurse Pattison helped us with staffing so that this way the patient had 2 nurses watching him and attending to his needs at all times. Although she stayed in the urgent care center, she was also coordinating staffing and clinical care for other patients remotely. Thus this veteran was kept safe in a secure environment (most of the doors in the urgent care center have PIV control). Ultimately the veteran was transferred to Millcreek Community Hospital the next morning and as of the time I left at about 7:08 AM, had not required any psychotropic medications, and had been managed by redirection and reassurances. The crisis services coordinator did call me that evening to let the hospitalist service know that the patient was being treated at Mill Creek community Hospital. Had nurse Pattison not been in charge, I doubt things would have gone as smoothly as they did. She went above and beyond her numerous obligations, did not have any breaks during the night, and made sure this patient stayed safe.