Maria Penner, ADN, RN

I wanted to take a minute to recognize Maria Penner for some truly outstanding care that she gave to a patient yesterday. Early in the day, we had a patient who arrived after attempting suicide by OD. It was a very clear attempt, not just an ideation. When I asked what the plan was with this patient, Maria said that Crisis had cleared her to go home with her sister. The patient and her sister had a planned 3-day trip, but upon their return, she would then have gone back to the same living situation which contributed to her mental health crisis. Maria just did not feel right about this and was very concerned that this plan was not safe for her. She spent significant time with the patient, developed a level of trust with her, and learned details about the patient's situation that the Crisis team had not discovered during their interview. Maria escalated her concern to the ED MD and spoke with the patient again to see if she would be willing to speak with the Crisis team a second time. Maria ensured that the patient had a private conversation with the team without the family in the room during the second interview. The patient was very open and willing and, in fact, seemed very relieved to have another opportunity to discuss her situation further with them. This ultimately changed the course of this patient's plan. She was later transferred to another hospital for some inpatient psychiatric help.

Maria was exemplary in her care. She was kind, empathetic, and gentle, and she carefully considered the potential negative consequences of sending this patient back into the same situation. It took courage to question the Crisis team's first decision, which would have been the easier, less complicated route to take. Maria chose the harder road, and I really think that she made a difference in this woman's life, not only because she was able to change the discharge plan, but because she showed her care and concern to this patient.

I believe that she may have saved this patient's life. I believe that this patient felt her compassion and recognized that someone took the time to go the extra mile and show real concern for her.