Pamela McKenzie is a very compassionate, empathetic Intake Nurse for NYU Langone Health Home Care. As an Intake nurse at NYU Langone Health Long Island, it is her responsibility to assist with the discharge process from the hospital to the community. The responsibility entails reassuring patients and caregivers that support is provided in the transitional process from the hospital to home. Pamela will explain to the patients that home care will provide instruction, support, and guidance in their road to recovery. Our goal in Home Care is to prevent rehospitalization for the patient. Pamela has a special gift in this process. She takes the time that is needed to reassure patients, order equipment and supplies that are needed, and complete the paperwork that is required for Home Care to visit the patient. She will take the time out of this process to ensure the patient and caregiver are comfortable with decisions, and spend the extra time needed out of her very busy day. She will often stay at the patient's bedside to ensure this. On a daily basis, she has multiple patients leaving from multiple units that she covers.

Pamela was contacted by Case Management and informed that there was a patient and her caregivers who were insisting on going home that day. The patient required equipment that had not been ordered yet, and proper documentation was still needed to order the equipment. Pam contacted multiple healthcare team members to gather needed documentation for equipment to be ordered and confirmed discharge plans. Upon insurance verification, it was determined that the patient’s insurance did not provide DME through NYU due to NYU not being a provider for the patient’s insurance. It was offered to the patient to go with another CHHA agency that was a provider for her insurance. The patient and caregivers were very dissatisfied at this point; they wanted the continuity of care that NYU Langone Health Home Care could provide. Pamela escalated concerns to multiple DME providers with no success. Pamela continued to escalate her concerns for the patient. Ultimately, Pamela went above and beyond to establish an agreement between the DME company and NYU Langone Health Home Care, which permitted the patient to receive needed DME, stay with NYU Langone Health Home Care, and go home as she wanted. The patient and caregivers expressed satisfaction with the discharge plan and the extraordinary care she received. Pamela had first and foremost established a relationship with the family provided support and reassurance throughout the process and ensured the patient and caregivers that she would do her absolute best to assist the patient and family. Pamela advocated for this patient multiple times throughout the entire day to confirm patient was able to be safely discharged. Pam provided excellent quality care to the patient and her family.

Pamela is an outstanding nurse. She always has a smile and a comforting attitude toward patient care. She cares and gives her best efforts every single day. She is knowledgeable, hardworking, optimistic, and even-tempered even in the most trying days. I value her and her wonderful qualities as a nurse.