karen neylon, RN, BSN

As someone who is a charge nurse on weekends, Karen frequently receives phone calls from patients who have been discharged. One Saturday morning, she received a call from a patient discharged with a prescription to take Xarelto twice daily for bilateral pulmonary embolism. The patient could not afford the medication and asked if she could be provided some samples until Monday when the clinic opened. Karen educated the patient on the importance of taking her medications and the patient understood that, she knows that compliance with her treatment could mean life or death. It's just that she could not afford it. Karen went above and beyond to contact the patient's Primary Physician and her local pharmacy to investigate what options the patient might have. Karen got the pharmacist to allow a partial dose fill but it was still too expensive for the patient to afford. Karen's big heart and compassion for her patients urged her spirit to take action. Karen instructed the patient to speak with the pharmacist to go ahead and fill the partial prescription so that the patient can take her dose until Monday when the clinic opens, and that Karen will cover the cost of the partial dose. Which she did, and the patient was extremely grateful for her generosity and compassion. It may just be something that Karen does naturally because of her big heart, but for the patient, this is a miracle and Karen was the vessel who delivered this miracle to her.