Tommy has been an invaluable team member to Home Telehealth. Tommy has brought his experience from other departments to our team and has even taken the lead in educating our department on how to correctly fill out our consult tool box. We cannot thank Tommy enough for equipping us with this education for which he still serves as a great resource for our department and team. Most recently, Tommy took the initiative to help enhance our nursing communication with our veterans through secure messaging by establishing a meeting with important key players. In addition to this, I know he has made a great impact on our veterans.

On this particular day, I was transferring veterans to Tommy's panel. As I explained the process and how the veteran should not notice a change in his care, I let the veteran know that Tommy would be his new coordinator. (I had not mentioned Tommy's last name). The veteran asked, please tell me it was Tommy Box, to which I replied yes, that would be him. The veteran then let me know that Tommy helped him out when he was in a rough spot, plus some! This veteran explained that he was frustrated because he had consults he needed, a sleep study but no CPAP machine, and was in need of some medical supplies. The veteran stated, “I was cranky and upset, but Tommy took the time and understood how frustrated I was. He explained things and walked me through a plan.” Within the week, the veteran said he felt that Tommy cared and listened to him because he received some of the supplies he needed. The veteran explained that “Tommy kept me updated on my consults until they were taken care of; he went above and beyond for me!”

I asked the veteran how long ago this was and if he minded me sharing this story. The veteran said, please do share, “he helped me out 3-4 years ago, and I will never forget his name because of his great care for me”. Tommy, as a veteran himself, can sympathize with our veterans and works diligently to help those veterans in need.