September 2013
Laura
Marzano
,
RN, BSN, TNS
ED
Mount Sinai Hospital
Chicago
,
IL
United States
We had a 17 year old autistic young man brought to the ED because his mother was unable to handle him and she was concerned for his safety. He had run into traffic. We were having a difficult time finding placement for him, so he ended up in 3 North with a sitter. Laura, who has personal experience caring for an autistic child, went out of her way to help with him on 3N by giving the caregiver tips on behavior modification and assisting in his care. She spent time with him on 3N over the 3 days he was there, showing compassion, caring and sharing her knowledge with staff until proper placement was found for this special young man.