April 2024
Zenaida
Carrillo-Ramo
,
RN
Case Management
Torrance Memorial Medical Center
Torrance
,
CA
United States
Because of her persistence, incessant communication with Cedars and the ambulance company, and just the simple fact that she has the knowledge and experience it takes, this patient has an exponentially higher chance of getting a heart transplant and at life.
I would like to nominate Zeni, case manager, for the DAISY Award for many reasons, and this is one of them that truly stands out. I am one of the lead nurses in the ICU, and there are many times when we have critically ill patients who need a higher level of care and need to be transferred to a tertiary center. This patient, in particular, was on ECMO, had a left heart assist device, was on many IV drips, and needed to transfer to Cedar’s for a heart transplant. This was a highly complex case that, if it wasn’t for Zeni, would not have been transferred that very day, and likely would not have survived (she was constantly in Vtach and had no pulse). Zeni spent most of her day coordinating this transfer, including getting emergency insurance clearance (in record time), communicating with the transfer center, sending all pertinent documents, arranging for critical care ambulance transport (and the many pieces of equipment needed for this critical patient, which is not as easy as it sounds), talking with family, and more. While this seems to be everything a case manager is supposed to do, Zeni went above and beyond with the time that she spent, as well as calling me to follow up even after she had already left work, to see if we needed more support and ensure transport went smoothly. I’ve worked with many case managers (I was even one myself for a few years), and while they are all amazing, few measure up to the quality of work consistently performed by Zeni. Because of her persistence, incessant communication with Cedars and the ambulance company, and just the simple fact that she has the knowledge and experience it takes, this patient has an exponentially higher chance of getting a heart transplant and at life. Because of her brilliance, that patient got her heart transplant and a second chance at life (I received this information weeks later). Thank you, Zeni!