It is difficult to summarize in a few words the kind of nurse Cheryl Christopherson is to the Mather Primary Care Department. Starting in 2018, Ms. Christopherson has devoted herself to caring for those who have served and sacrificed for our country. She is a born leader and problem solver and has made countless contributions to our department in providing timely and high quality of patient care. She is instrumental in the facilitation of veteran-centric care and embraces challenges and change with strategies to meet the veteran and family's needs.
An employee, whose father is a patient of Dr. S, came up to me for assistance to coordinate care. Per his daughter, the veteran was out of town and was recently discharged from a local hospital due to COPD exacerbation and was advised to continue with current meds. The veteran did not have his regular medication available, so he needed medications called to a local pharmacy to continue with his COPD management. The daughter had gone through the clinic but was advised that the veteran's medications have been mailed. His daughter was concerned about her father going through another exacerbation of symptoms without his medications.
I approached Ms. Christopherson who at that time was seeing patients at the WHC. Ms. Christopherson completed the other patient's visit and then called back the employee with her father's needs. With her calm demeanor, she was able to assist the patient to get his refill for COPD medications at the local pharmacy with his primary care provider. She extended education on medication compliance and avoiding triggers with the veteran and his daughter. She was able to secure a follow-up schedule with his provider within 7 days.
In addition, Ms. Christopherson was able to flex her schedule to accommodate patients with their needs. She is highly skilled in prioritizing her work and ensures that she takes care of her patients. That day, she went above and beyond and had stayed longer to complete all her scheduled calls. Ms. Christopherson demonstrates professionalism and compassion when providing quality patient care. She is a proactive member of PACT offering recommendations to help improve processes. She assists in training newly hired nurses by making them comfortable in their roles. She is highly valued by her team and colleagues for providing her expert opinion and technical support for efficient care. It is an honor and privilege to work with such a compassionate individual.