Yesterday, we had a female patient arrive at the Emergency Department who tested positive for drugs and alcohol. Through conversation in the trauma room with the patient, Judy realized that the woman had young children that were unaccounted for. She deduced that the children might be home alone or in danger. She called the police department and notified them that there were possible children at risk and asked if the police would go to the patient's home to see if the children were there.
When the police arrived they found 4 young children who had been caring for themselves over the past 2 days! The children were brought to the hospital to be checked out, and DCF took over the care of the children.
If Judy had not been so proactive and "gone with her gut" who knows how long those children would have been alone and what would have happened. She truly cared not only for the patient who came in but for the safety of the patient's family as well, perhaps saving more than one life that day.
What a great nurse!