Rebekah Rivera
January 2022
Rebekah
Rivera
,
RN
ICU
CHRISTUS St. Patrick Hospital
Lake Charles
,
LA
United States

 

 

 

Through her many attempts and different avenues, Rebekah was about to find the patient's girlfriend in Vietnam.
During the time of the Delta variant, our ICU experienced extended length of stay and extended use of ventilators. During the hospital CNO's rounds, Rebekah inquired about our ethics committee and how we could reach a family member of one of the vented ICU patients who was not doing well. The patient did not have a living will or emergency contact listed. Rebekah made several attempts to find family. She called the police department from his provided residence and the police made contact with the patient's neighbor, but in the end, proved to be unhelpful. Days later as our hospital CNO made rounds again, she asked Rebekah if she had found family. Through her many attempts and different avenues, Rebekah was about to find the patient's girlfriend in Vietnam. "This amazed me, the compassion that led her persistence to ensure this man's life and end of life decisions were considered fully. Rebekah Rivera lives our mission and values, to see this dilemma and have such a positive resolve made me very proud to be a part of the CHRISTUS Ochsner St Patrick team."