During a very busy and stressful week in the ICU at HCGH, Lucy was the Nurse in Charge (NIC) after a young, developmentally challenged man was admitted to ICU with COVID-19. This young man's mother was with him, helping to care for him as she does at home. Staffing was maximized and Lucy was tasked not only being in charge of the unit but having a patient assignment and this young man was one of her patients. There was much to do for this young patient, and Lucy completed every task with compassion and caring. Even after another staff member arrived to help take care of her assignment, Lucy continued to look after the young man. Lucy told me she felt she needed to continue to be his nurse so that she could make sure he and his mother were doing well.
I spoke to the patient's mother the next day and here is part of what she said to me, "Lucy is an angel. She is like Mother Teresa. She took care of my son, she knew I was exhausted, and I knew he was in the hands of an angel." At this point, the mother knew that she was able to go home to check on her husband (who was also ill) and that her son would be taken care of in the same way that she would do for him. She verbalized appreciation for Lucy's care, not only of her son but Lucy's consideration of the needs of herself, getting her something to eat and drink as she had been with him for over 24 hours.
Lucy is professional and courteous with everyone she interacts with at HCGH, is always willing to help problem-solve with staff, works extra hours and different shifts to help with staffing, assists staff with patient care, and remains a positive and cheerful team player on the unit which has been so important during this extremely stressful time. I believe Lucy exemplifies the qualities of HCH's Mission Statement and Core Values and is an extremely valuable member of the HCGH team!