Recently, Theresa was preparing to discharge a patient. The patient was to receive medications from our on-site Walgreens already filled. There was a communication issue/breakdown between the social worker and nursing and pharmacy. The prescriptions were not received by the pharmacy via fax. When Theresa inquired about the prescriptions being filled, she received much push back, such as "Oh we didn't receive the fax" and "our cut-off time was 4:30 pm." Theresa walked to Walgreens and was calling from her cellphone to inform me of the situation. She insisted on getting the prescription faxed again, which I obliged and she remained steadfast on walking away from Walgreens with prescriptions in hand. When Theresa returned to 4400, she seemed exhausted but satisfied. She was able to get the patient her medications.
The most touching part about this story is when Theresa shared why she was so adamant. Her patient was an immigrant and uninsured. She had family present and Theresa used the language line to communicate discharge instructions to the patient and family. During the conversation, Theresa said that the family member expressed much frustration. She said that his words were, "In my country, everyone told me to come to America. It is the land of opportunity and I would have a much better life. But since I've been here, all I do is spend money on healthcare. I don't have money to spend like that." Theresa was extremely empathetic. Theresa reflected on her mom being an immigrant of Barbados and she couldn't imagine her not being able to take care of her children due to a lack of health insurance and the cost of healthcare.
This situation is proof that nurses care for the whole patient. Nurses juggle treatment regimens with reality on a daily basis. I don't know if Theresa knows, but her actions touched me so deeply. I'm confident that the patient's outcomes will improve, even if it's for the thirty days that the system will allow.
Theresa is a true DAISY Nurse and we all can learn so much from this situation.