Lydia Johnson, BSN, RN

Lydia Johnson, Costas Center, has a strong connection with her patient population. Her knowledge of Hemophilia and its effects on the patient and family informs all of her interactions. She addresses every concern promptly, providing education to parents to allow them to feel empowered in caring for their child with a bleeding disorder diagnosis. Her persistence and clinical insight with nurses, providers, insurance companies, and pharmacies provide reassurance to families.

Lydia not only collaborates with the Hemophilia team daily but also immerses herself in the Costas team. She partners with her colleagues to encourage open communication to provide more coordinated patient care. Lydia is one of the most reliable team members. She can be given any task, and you know she will follow up with loop closure. She takes responsibility for her patients' care entirely and has never said, "That is not my job."

Lydia is one of the unspoken leaders of the Hemophilia Program. She leads every hemophilia clinic day with integrity, confidence, and compassion. She respects her teammates- open to learning from them but also available to educate and support newer staff.

Lydia's passion is education. She has spent countless hours with the STARS program and community first responders, traveling to area school nurses, teaching patients in the clinic, and attending the annual bleeding disorder summer camp. Hemophilia is not a well-known and understood disorder, but Lydia has done her part to ensure more people in the community hear about it, and her patients and families with the disorder can be advocates for themselves and their care

Throughout Lydia's distinguished career of 33 years at Cardinal Glennon and nearly 15 years within the Hemophilia Program, she has embodied the very heart of nursing—compassion, clinical excellence, integrity, and unwavering dedication to patients, families, and colleagues. Her legacy is one of extraordinary service, lifelong commitment to learning, and profound impact on the nursing profession.

She has consistently demonstrated a level of skill and professionalism that inspires all who have the privilege of working alongside her. She is known not only for her clinical expertise but also for her ability to connect deeply with every patient she encounters.

Lydia was an engaged member of the Nursing Excellence Council, displaying her commitment to celebrating nursing. She understands firsthand the importance of this profession and all the hard work that goes into making it a successful career.

Lydia is slowly phasing into retirement, but she has educated and guided her successor in a way that her legacy and deep clinical expertise will continue.