Kelly Barker was the charge nurse in the ED when she received a panicked phone call from a father who was desperately trying to find his 19-year-old son. His son had been driving and talking with his girlfriend when he was involved in a car accident. The father had been driving around the city trying to find out where his son may have been driving. He called several hospitals to see if his son was there. We did not have his son here but had some other victims of the accident. Kelly talked with the father and tried to assist him for almost an hour. At some point, she found out that his son died in the accident, but his body was being sent to another hospital. Kelly wanted to assist the father, so she asked him to come to Sparrow ED and we would do everything we could to get him information about his son. She then notified the police and asked them to meet the father here and let him know what had taken place.
Kelly's deep compassion for this father was truly remarkable but not surprising coming from her. She went out of her way to assist him in getting the tragic information he needed. She represented Sparrow exceptionally well and the values we instill in all our caregivers. She showed compassion, respect, and excellence. Even when she didn't need to, she also showed accountability because she took responsibility for the situation. She also showed innovation by providing a safe space for the father, bringing the police to deliver the tragic news and allowing the father time to grieve until he was safe to leave the ED.