lirio cortez, RN

Very respectful - sweet - goes the extra mile to make sure her patients are well taken care of. During my healing process after a stroke, paralyzed on the left side, with speech limitations and many other issues of concern, I had no way to speak for myself. Every day she explained how everything worked and why we did certain things - from medications, tubes, IV's, vital readings, therapy, and so much more. She explained what I needed to work on to improve my road to recovery. She never expressed frustration and always had a smile on her face. She made sure I was always comfortable with clean linens, pillows (under both my leg and arm that were paralyzed), made sure to check if I had my bath on schedule, and made sure my medications were all in order.

She encouraged me to eat healthy. She was so encouraging, and I greatly appreciate the professionalism and how she took care of me during my stay. My family, who are also in the medical field, couldn't be with me on most days, so Lirio was my inspiration toward recovering from my stroke. If anyone is deserving of this award, it should be her. She goes far and beyond her expected duties.