January 2016
Amy
Smiley
,
RN
Emergency Dept.
SwedishAmerican Health System
Rockford
,
IL
United States
A patient had died in the ED. The patient was ready to leave to the funeral home when the family asked for the patient's slippers. The slippers were not in the belongings that were in the room. Amy called the Fire Department that brought the patient to the ER and found out that they threw the slippers in the garbage because they were soiled by the patient. Amy went through the garbage both in the trauma room and the EMS room and found the slippers. Amy cleaned them off and gave them to the family. They may have not seemed important, but to the family, it was a memory of their lost loved one. The patient wore these slippers every day and the family really appreciated Amy's act of caring and compassion.