Elizabeth is an extremely caring and hardworking nurse. She always goes the extra mile to ensure her patients receive the best care or that her coworkers are supported when she is assigned to be the resource nurse. Since moving units to become the first COVID-ICU at our hospital we as a unit have gone through both struggles and enjoyed some successes.
Our first positive COVID patient that arrived in the unit shortly after we moved down and is still with us 40+ days later. A patient many of us didn't think would ever survive and has had numerous complications throughout his stay, but that is finally doing better. This past weekend with the weather being nice Elizabeth took it upon herself to ask for attending approval and gather up a team to be able to bring this vented patient outside to enjoy his first sunshine in over 7 weeks. There was a photo taken of the patient per his request of him overlooking Lake Quinsigamond and giving a thumbs up that honesty could be the cover photo of Time Magazine. I believe this will be a moment that both those staff members and the patient will remember for a long time and something that was definitely needed to lift all of our spirits as we go through this very difficult time.
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My older brother passed away due to complications of the COVID-19 virus. During my brother's final hours, Elizabeth arranged two FaceTime calls, the first with me and the second with his wife, his daughter, and only grandchild. Ms. Phelan's efforts allowed me to see and speak with my brother just prior to his passing. Personally, I will never forget the opportunity that Elizabeth provided, allowing me to share a final few moments with him.