I am truly grateful and profoundly appreciative of the extraordinary compassion, interdisciplinary teamwork, and customer service given to my family. My mother, an active Registered Nurse visiting Lancaster from out of town, was admitted for a devastating Intra-Cranial Hemorrhage. Her prognosis was poor and she was a firm DNR. I, myself a registered nurse for 31 years serving in NICU/PICU, air/ground transport, and more recently as a traveler; have worked in many different hospitals. I know a thing or two about good communication versus bad communication in healthcare. I could not have had a better experience at LGH due largely to the skilled and exemplary nursing communication to my family.

Jason showed great understanding, maintained a calming presence, used well-timed humor to keep the atmosphere light, and demonstrated a whatever-it-takes attitude, going above and beyond the basics of good nursing care. My mother had an 82-year-old Italian-speaking boyfriend who did not understand what was happening. My 5 siblings and I all agreed to respect her DNR wishes, but her boyfriend was really struggling. Jason was able to quickly establish a good rapport with him. He provided clear, concise facts in a compassionate way, translating medical jargon into terms he could understand. He was able to help my mother’s boyfriend accept the reality of my mother’s prognosis.

Jason provided regular phone call updates, understanding we were all traveling from out of state. When it became clear medical treatment to stabilize my mother was futile, he called while I was standing in the airport. He was able to explain options and facilitate communication with the provider within a matter of minutes to start the transition to comfort care, all prior to my boarding the plane. After arrival, his nurturing nature made all of us feel supported. His communication style was intuitive. He knew how to “read the room” and adapted differently based on how we're doing in the moment. He kept a family in crisis whole simply by removing the tension from the room and creating a relaxed space.

After my mother transferred to med-surg, my registered nurse personality came out and I wanted to provide oral care to my mother. I didn’t want the swab, I wanted the fancier Sage oral kit! The poor med-surg nurse explained it wasn’t a stocked item on their floor. Not taking no for an answer, I walked up to TNU and explained what I wanted. Jason immediately provided a days’ worth of kits to me as well as comfort at the moment, demonstrating an understanding of my need to provide nursing care to my mother in her final hours without me having to explain myself. She passed with dignity that same evening. It’s important to recognize extraordinary nursing care when someone goes above and beyond to make a difference. Jason exceeded all expectations.