There's a lot that goes into caring for patients during a pandemic. Often all of the credit and recognition goes to those working on the "front lines". What most people don't know, or take the time to think about and recognize, is the amount of work that goes on behind the scenes.

We'd like to recognize Kristi Schmidt, RN an Infectious Disease Nurse here at St. Mary's. Kristi has been an incredible help to us since this pandemic started. Kristi is there for us every single day, at any hour of the day. We tiger text her constantly. We touch base with her every single morning (We want to emphasize that this is literally every single morning including weekends and holidays). We message her to update our isolation and ask her numerous questions, we often communicate with her throughout the entire day. She does chart reviews for us, she keeps us up to date on the newest recommendations and isolation changes, and she is always there to answer our questions. It does not matter if it's a weekend or a holiday, we always get a quick response. We don't know that she's actually had a day completely "off" since this pandemic began. It seems that she has worked every day since March of 2020. It is clear that she takes time away from her own life, and family to make sure we can function smoothly. She is constantly going above and beyond for us. Covid-19 has been incredibly tough for our floor and staff, but knowing that we have someone like Kristi whom we can go to with questions at any time, and always get a friendly and helpful response has been a savior.

Kristi is a true DAISY Nurse and we are hopeful that this is a small token of appreciation we can show her so she knows her work is important and making a difference every single day. Thanks for all you do Kristi, we would be lost without you! -8 Southwest