Gizman Bekri was assigned as a charge nurse. She received a report from an off-going charge nurse that a patient admitted from the ED last night was homeless with two kids. She was told that CPS had been called and the case was under review, but CPS would not come to pick up the kids today until the mother could make decisions. Gizman went and checked the kids, and they both were sleeping in the room.
Around 9 am, when she was rounding in the patient’s room, the kids were awake and asking for breakfast. Mother was still sleeping, semi-conscious, and unable to make any decision. She did not respond to her kids when they asked for food. Gizman escalated this to the house supervisor and asked about what she could do to get some food for the kids. The supervisor advised her to call dietary. Dietary said they can’t provide food since the patient is NPO. Being a mom, Gizman felt that she couldn’t leave the kids starving since the mother was unable to care for them. She made a decision to go to the cafeteria, order breakfast for two, and bring them back to the room. She assisted both of them in brushing their teeth and assisted in feeding breakfast to the 4-year-old kid.
Later, Gizman asked both kids to wash themselves and change their clothes. During lunchtime, she brought some finger food and helped them eat. The kids were comfortable in the room. Gizman assisted the bedside nurse with caring for these two kids, checked on their safety, and gave a report to the night shift charge nurse. At night, the kids slept well, and no issues were noted. Charge nurse Gizman attempted multiple calls to reach out to CPS so the kids could be placed in a safe place. Due to the weekend and limited resources, CPS did not come in to provide resources or place kids in a shelter. The MICU team watched the kids and kept them safe in the patient’s room. The next day, the mother was awake, and leadership involved interviewing the mother for family members in Houston. She denied any resources or family members. The family stayed in the hospital until they were discharged.
As a charge nurse, Gizman did her best to care for this family, following MH guidelines and practicing safety. I am proud to be part of the very supportive, caring, compassionate, and efficient nurses in the MICU. Thank you, Gizman.