I would like to nominate Kierra Bays from 2 North Medicine (Medical Stepdown Unit). Kierra Bays is one of the Assistant Nurse Managers on 2 North Medicine. This unit served as the Covid Sanctuary for almost two years providing care for all Covid patients not requiring ICU level of care. During this timeframe, visitation was restricted and communication from families was virtual for patients and caregivers. I can only imagine how difficult and scary it was for patients and families not to be able to physically touch, hug or just hold hands during a time of uncertainty.

Patient conditions waxed and waned allowing only a few minutes of communication between patients and families most days due to the complexity of the disease and changes in patient conditions. Kierra understood the need for patient and family interaction in the healing process and took the time to assure a short virtual visit occurred each shift. Kierra was able to mitigate the void that virtual visitation presented. She was known for establishing set daily virtual phone calls between the patients and their families. In addition to coordinating phone calls between loved ones, she would call each family member individually to ensure that they knew the plan of care, often calling with hourly updates if the patient's condition warranted.

One particular patient, Mr. B had a large extended family, with three daughters and numerous grandchildren. Mr. B’s hospital course was prolonged and his condition fluctuated daily; Mr. B was not only battling Covid but was understandably missing the cohesiveness and love from his family. On days that he just wanted to give up, the family said Kierra became his stand-in daughter, pushing him to battle through, and ensuring that he knew she was in his corner. I would like to share one of the thank you notes that Kierra received at the time Mr. B was discharged, written by his daughter.

“Kierra- Thank you from the bottom of my heart for taking such great care of my Daddy! I truly believe God sent you to be with him during his most difficult time. You were exactly who he needed to help pull him through. Also, thank you for taking the time to talk with me and explain what was happening. Not being able to be with him was hard and you helped to ease my worry. You are a very special person and have blessed my family so very much.”

Covid presented a unique set of challenges that Kierra met head-on. She truly understood the importance of therapeutic relationships and how critical our families are to our patient's outcomes. The day that Mr. B was discharged, his family met her with a unique gift and a handwritten note from each of his family members. When I read those notes, I am all the more aware of how important Kierra was to Mr. B’s story. She became the needed glue that held the family together during a most difficult time. This is merely one example of many where Kierra addressed the variances that Covid brought about by ensuring that the patient's needs were still met.