Kathy Bennett
March 2016
Kathy
Bennett
,
RN
Neurology Clinic
University of Michigan Health System
Ann Arbor
,
MI
United States

 

 

 

I am a long term (21 yrs) Multiple Sclerosis patient and my first visit to UM Multiple Sclerosis Clinic was June of 2015. I have been to three neurology clinics over the past 21 years and was very nervous about coming to UMHS and therefore had a lot of questions. I have to say my experience was good from the start!
My first interaction with Kathy was during my initial visit. I was started on a new medication for MS, and Kathy coordinated the 8hr infusion visit for the initial dosing. She had also called me prior to the medication appointment and talked to me at length about what to expect and gave me drug information/teaching and also talked about the resources available to me thru the clinic. She answered all of my questions. I was blown away with the experience as I had never received this type of in-depth care before. Kathy really took the time to explain what was going to happen the day of my initial infusion, and also arranged an appointment with the pharmacist.
This appointment was a one on one with me and my husband, allowing us to ask questions about the new drug. During the 8 hour infusion, my heart rate and blood pressure was monitored. The whole experience that day made me feel like everyone was looking out for my best interest. Since the initial dosing, I began having issues with the treatment and Kathy went out of her way to get me an appointment with the physician for follow up. She really helped me by coordinating the appointment and assisted me with navigating the UMHS system. After seeing the physician, Kathy helped coordinate another new medication infusion.
She continues to be great at answering all my questions, meeting all of my needs (labs, follow-up appointments, infusions, other medications, etc) and helping me to navigate the clinical trial information. She is really on top of it and I am so appreciative of her professionalism, and her willingness to help, as I would not be able to do this alone. My experience at UMHS would not be the same without Kathy! For this, I am truly thankful and so happy that she received the DAISY Award for providing outstanding care!