Vanessa Harkness
September 2021
Vanessa
Harkness
,
MSN, RN, CCRN
Neuro ICU
University Medical Center
Lubbock
,
TX
United States
Vanessa offered to recover the van for the patient, and he gave her the key and described the vehicle to her so that she could help him out.
During morning patient rounds, Vanessa encountered a patient overcome with worry about his vehicle. The patient was homeless and everything he owned was in a van outside of the Walmart where he had a health crisis that landed him in the ICU. He expressed concern that his vehicle would be towed if he were unable to recover it from Walmart’s parking lot. Vanessa inquired about friends or family who may be able to retrieve the vehicle to which he responded that he had no family and his “only friend in the whole world” happened to also be in the hospital recovering from a recent surgery.
Hearing this story, Vanessa’s heart sunk, and she knew she had to do something. Vanessa recruited help and sprang into action. A called Walmart and they informed her that they would tow the vehicle after it had been on the premises for 16 hours. Knowing that the deadline was quickly approaching, A requested that the vehicle be granted an extension given the circumstances. Unfortunately, the request was declined to leave very little time to act. Vanessa explored her options with her colleagues and realized very quickly that she would need to be the one to bring back the vehicle if there was any hope of keeping it from being towed away.
Vanessa offered to recover the van for the patient, and he gave her the key and described the vehicle to her so that she could help him out. A and E drove with Vanessa to Walmart where they located the van and were able to safely transport it back to the hospital. This is one example of the lengths that Vanessa is willing to go to be a support system and glimmer of hope for patients who have none. This one simple act put this patient’s mind at ease and ultimately saved him a lot of stress and suffering. This is the type of nursing care and leadership that many of us aspire to achieve. Thank you, Vanessa, for your kind heart and for being an outstanding role model for those around you!
Hearing this story, Vanessa’s heart sunk, and she knew she had to do something. Vanessa recruited help and sprang into action. A called Walmart and they informed her that they would tow the vehicle after it had been on the premises for 16 hours. Knowing that the deadline was quickly approaching, A requested that the vehicle be granted an extension given the circumstances. Unfortunately, the request was declined to leave very little time to act. Vanessa explored her options with her colleagues and realized very quickly that she would need to be the one to bring back the vehicle if there was any hope of keeping it from being towed away.
Vanessa offered to recover the van for the patient, and he gave her the key and described the vehicle to her so that she could help him out. A and E drove with Vanessa to Walmart where they located the van and were able to safely transport it back to the hospital. This is one example of the lengths that Vanessa is willing to go to be a support system and glimmer of hope for patients who have none. This one simple act put this patient’s mind at ease and ultimately saved him a lot of stress and suffering. This is the type of nursing care and leadership that many of us aspire to achieve. Thank you, Vanessa, for your kind heart and for being an outstanding role model for those around you!