Janice went to a patient's home and the Veteran's pickup was in his driveway, but he did not answer the door. She had a hunch something was not right, so she called the Psychologist and got her on the line. The door was locked, and she would not see in the windows. She notified the Police to do a wellness check. When the door was opened, Janice found the patient on the floor. He was not able to speak, he was making groaning sounds and his words were too slurred to understand. She called 911, comforted the patient, covered him up and held his hand until EMS arrived. His blood sugar was checked, and the result was 25mg/dl. They got IV glucose started and he was transferred to the hospital. She followed him to the hospital after gathering some of his belongings. She gave handoff communication to the receiving facility, including contact information of his next of kin, his brother and she informed them that he is a Veteran and requested they contact the VA if he has to be admitted. She stayed with him in the ER for about 30 minutes because he was by himself. She then contacted his brother to notify him that the patient was in the hospital so he would have a ride home if discharged.
Janice demonstrated ICARE values by advocating for this Veteran by seeking additional help when needed, staying with him throughout the process of transfer to ER, and providing handoff communication with staff and with his brother. She also demonstrated a commitment to serve the Veteran and his brother by honoring VA's mission. She demonstrated integrity and commitment by serving the Veteran and maintaining the trust of her patient during his trip to the hospital and by seeking additional help when she was not able to get into the patient's home, and she provided respect and excellence to save this patient's life with her tenacity and skill.