I want to recognize Katie for the exemplary nursing care, advocacy, and compassion that she provided for a patient and their family. The mother of the patient she was caring for was a Positive COVID case and from the initial delivery, the mother was very ill. Over the weekend the plan for the baby’s mother was to ultimately withdraw care. Katie advocated and helped overcome numerous obstacles to get her patient to the mother to be able to hold/skin to skin for the first and last time. She helped facilitate with the ICU the necessary tests/procedures in order for the baby to visit safely. She went above and beyond the call of duty by bathing the patient and placing a special blanket on baby so mom would have her baby’s scent. As well as a teddy bear for mom when she had to take the baby back to the NICU for the mother to hold. Katie got the necessary approval to take Bella baby pictures with mom and baby and even got the mother’s heart rate recorded so the NCH music team will be able to make a song for the patient using the mom’s heartbeat. And through all of these immeasurable obstacles, she did it with a language barrier using an interpreter to communicate with the family.

In the health care field, we often focus on day-to-day tasks but Katie knew the longevity effects this situation would have on her patient, the mom, and the family. Even though her patient is a premature baby and will have no memory of her mother, this patient will have these pictures and sounds of her mother and ultimately know that her mother got to hold her. And for the mother who is now in end-of-life care had this time with her baby she would not have had without Katie.

Katie exemplifies the best standards of a nurse from compassion, caring, and ultimately not only being her patient’s advocate but an advocate for the whole family. I am much honored to work with such an amazing nurse and OSU’s NCH NICU is very lucky to have her on its team.