We had a patient return to our unit in September to visit with Clemencia Mauricio to just say thank you. Seems that several months ago he had been a cardiac bypass patient here at Hays who eventually came up to the 3rd floor, where Clemencia took care of him. During his stay it was clear he was not in a happy place in his life. Clem reached out to him even through his grouchy mood and made the connection he needed to change his life. She was consistent with her approach and he eventually came around long enough to stop being negative and listen to her. What she told him is what every great nurse would tell him. Take care of yourself, lose weight, watch your diet, do what you need to do to take care of yourself and be there for your children. She even went as far as to say, "you know what? I will do this, if you lose weight I will lose weight." They made a pact he would lose 150 lbs and she would lose her 10 lbs. She had no way of knowing what kind of impact she had on him.

When he returned to say thank you he had lost 147 lbs! She impacted his life by using her influence on his health through her nursing process and education. For this and her consistent contribution to the unit and her fellow nurses, I would like to nominate Clemencia for the next DAISY Award here at SMCH. I am so proud to have her as part of our team!