Hope is seasoned in her position and acts as a mentor amongst her peers. She encompasses the I Care Values of integrity, commitment, advocacy, respect, and excellence. She consistently goes above and beyond with the Veterans that we serve, and this is just a small example of that.

One morning, Hope received a secure message from a Veteran indicating he was experiencing slurred speech. This message was sent the previous evening when no one from primary care was working. Already concerned that this individual might be experiencing a stroke, Hope immediately reached out to the Veteran. Hope explained what she believed could be occurring, but the Veteran was resistant to seeking evaluation as he was out of town. The veteran indicated that he might want to wait until he gets back in the area to come to our urgent care center. Hope provided numerous reasons why it was not a good idea to wait. The Veteran was still resistant to seeking treatment. Hope then informed the Veteran that he could also be evaluated at the Pittsburgh VAMC emergency room. The Veteran continued to be resistant and indicated he would wait to seek treatment until he was back in town. Hope reiterated to the Veteran that she could not be certain he wasn’t having a stroke, but these were stroke-like symptoms he was reporting. If he did not seek immediate treatment and was having a stroke, some of the damage could be irreversible. The Veteran thanked Hope for her concern and began to end the call without noting whether he was going to seek treatment. Hope again strongly encouraged the Veteran to go to the closest emergency room and be evaluated before getting off the call.

A few hours later, Hope received a new secure message from the Veteran indicating that he had taken the RN’s advice and went to the local emergency room. He indicated that he had a mini-stroke. Upon further examination of the MRI, it showed that the Veteran had a stroke, not the mini-stroke that he originally believed. Had Hope accepted the Veteran’s initial resistance to being evaluated, this Veteran could have had permanent brain damage or even died. Hope was empathetic to the Veteran’s stance but also stern and informative and was able to explain the urgency in a way that the Veteran began to understand the concerns. I believe that Hope displayed all I Care Values on this date, and because of her patience and persistence, this Veteran is alive and able to be treated for what may have caused the stroke.