Since meeting Catia nine months ago, I have been consistently grateful and impressed. She often requires an escort and case manages complex patients in difficult socioeconomic situations and territories. Every time I case box with her, I am touched by how well she knows every aspect of her patients’ cases, and she demonstrates advocacy, empathy, compassion, and best practices in her clinical knowledge.

Catia also has the lowest level of missed visits on her team and the patient satisfaction scores on her team are currently the highest. In addition to providing excellent, high-quality care to her patients, I am mainly nominating her for her consistent use of the Pluckemin Medical Equipment Ministry to obtain free DME for her patients in need. Catia learned about the ministry and reaches out to me regularly after her admissions to obtain everything from wheelchairs, rollators, shower chairs and tub benches, raised toilet seats, and wheelchair cushions. She works in partnership with her therapy colleagues but goes above and beyond for all of her cases, ensuring safety and that their needs are fully met.

I am impressed by her dedication to her patients and to the overall mission of VNAHG, which she exemplifies. A patient called me after she gave them a wheelchair, saying it was such a tremendous gift to her and it “changed her life to be able to move around now and be able to go out to the MD.” During her recent episode, I received a call from a patient: Catia assessed that she lived alone and was using her rollator as a wheelchair. The patient was unable to get to the front of her building for transportation to any MD. Catia requested a donated wheelchair for her. Upon delivery of the wheelchair, she was overjoyed and grateful. She tearfully said that having this wheelchair was a “Gift from God.” She said she was eternally grateful and was now able to move about her apartment freely and safely. She stated she could finally get to the wound care center. She stated she felt blessed and that this wheelchair changed her life and her ability to obtain medical care