Tasha Strohacker is an Emergency Department RN and today she shined in the ED. The charge nurse received a call from a patient that was actively trying to commit suicide and while he was trying to locate resources to help the patient, Tasha talked to the patient and eventually gained her trust over the phone. Tasha talked with her, listened to her, prayed with her and eventually gained the patient's trust.
In the beginning, the patient would not give any information which kept us from sending help to her. Little by little, Tasha gained her trust. The patient told us what med she had overdosed on and then told us her name, birthday and eventually her address. During this time the patient was very sleepy and having a hard time staying awake. We were able to get her address to the appropriate county's sheriff and they reached her before it was too late.
The charge nurse and some of the other nurses and registration staff were working in the background with the little bits of information she was giving to try to find her location. Our local police department was involved and in contact with the department in the neighboring county where the patient was located. Today was a joint effort by many people to help this patient, but I feel Tasha stood out and never gave up. She demonstrated love, compassion, and kindness. She was able to sympathize with the patient and relate to her with her past personal experiences and made a true difference in her life.