Jamie Spangler, RN, PACU

Jamie, an RN in PACU, was nominated for a President's Award for helping a pregnant co-worker.

Recently, a patient was having a procedure in CVRA. One of Jamie's co-workers, Summer Zettlemeyer, a nurse in CVRA, was pregnant at the time. Normally, Summer would help bring the patient back up to the Telemetry Unit after a procedure, but there was some concern that the patient had H1N1, which we all know is particularly dangerous to pregnant women.

When Jamie learned that Summer was going to bring the patient back to the unit, she immediately volunteered to transport the patient. Jamie insisted that she would transport the patient because she didn't want to take the chance of Summer getting infected. Jamie was willing to put her own health on the line to protect her co-worker. If that's not family, then I don't know what is.

Pat Davis, Pastoral Care

For most of us, it's difficult to imagine what it's like to be all alone. Unfortunately, there are people, especially the elderly, who no longer have friends or family around-there's no one to carry out their final wishes. But thanks to Pat Davis and the Guest House nursing home staff, one lady who was alone in life received a beautiful, heartfelt funeral and burial service.

The elderly lady, whose name was Liz, passed away after a long and courageous battle with Alzheimer's. After being evacuated from New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina, she became a resident of the Guest House. She had no next of kin and never had a visitor, but the staff of the Guest House staff grew to know and love Liz. The staff said they knew Liz loved them, too, in her own way-you could see it in her smile-even though she could no longer speak.

Earlier this fall, Liz passed away and the Guest House staff began the task of closing out her stay. Unlike most of the residents, Liz had no one listed as next of kin; she hadn't even had a visitor in years-she really had no one.

The Guest House was able to find a burial policy, and with some added funds from the nursing home staff, a local mortuary agreed to provide a dignified funeral. But the last challenge for the Guest House staff was finding a clergyman to perform her funeral service. The nursing home director called Pat and asked him if he would be so kind as to preside over Liz's funeral at the gravesite. Pat immediately agreed to help.

The nursing home director said that Pat delivered a dignified and touching funeral that touched everyone in attendance. The director said:

"About a dozen Guest House staff members attended Liz's funeral. Pat stood before us and made eye contact with each of us. I think he sensed our grief. Pat began to speak about the virtues of family. He spoke of God's family and the value of belonging to God's community. He then told us each that we were Liz's family. I think the entire group of staff present that day felt a sense of proper closure for Liz, understanding that we didn't arrange for Liz's burial because we had to, but because she was a member of our family whom we had lost. I don't think any of us realized that until Pat helped us to see it."

Thank you, Pat, for being so generous with your time and talent. In addition to providing Liz with a dignified funeral, you helped the Guest House staff get closure on what ended up being a very emotional time for them all. Thank you for your compassion.

 Garnette Brignac, LPN, Oncology Unit

Garnette, who works in the inpatient unit of Pennington Cancer Center, was nominated for the President’s Award by four separate people; all recognizing her devotion, kindness and compassion.

One patient said:

“With her loving attitude, you feel like you have been friends forever. Garnette is very devoted to her patients. Thanks to her, I was able to discuss my feelings. God has blessed Baton Rouge General with some caring angels.
Here’s another patient’s comments:

“Garnette was very considerate and treated me with the most kindness. I feel she was responsible for my speedy recovery. She is a model nurse for all hospitals.”

One patient said that because of Garnette and the other team members on Oncology he would never go to another hospital.

Our cancer patients are blessed to feel the love and compassion you give to them.

Thank you, Garnette.

Gloria Hagan, Lab

Emily, the woman who nominated Gloria, had an uncle who was a patient at our hospital for over a month. Emily stayed here 24 hours a day, throughout the entire stay.

Emily got to know Gloria when they began talking one day while in line for food in the cafeteria. Emily began telling Gloria that she was ready for a change of menu because she had been eating at the hospital for so long. Without being asked, Gloria volunteered to pick up something for Emily to eat on her way in to work.

So, for the next few days, Gloria brought Emily something different to eat every day. But, Gloria also would add in other treats like books and puzzles to help Emily pass the time.

Emily said:

"I cannot commend Gloria enough. She went over and beyond the call of duty. Your hospital should be proud of her. I will pass her kindness to someone else in need and I will always remember the kindness shown to me by Gloria."

Thank you, Gloria, for your kindness, compassion and generosity.

Oscar Warren, Lab

A hospital stay can be a frightening time for a child. New faces, equipment, needles-it can all be overwhelming. Oscar, a phlebotomist, was nominated for the President's Award by Tessa Browning, a nurse on the Pediatrics Unit. Tessa was moved by Oscar's ability to comfort a young patient in what was a scary and vulnerable time for her.

The little girl became extremely frightened when it was time for labs to be drawn on her; a time when many children become fearful. But Oscar handled every interaction with the little girl with tender, loving care.

Each time labs needed to be drawn he would go into the room and talk with the girl, telling her what he was going to do. Then to help distract her during the needle stick, he would sing with her and they wouldn't stop singing until the draw was done. This worked every time. It soothed her and made her forget her fears.

Oscar really went above and beyond the call of duty to help this little girl cope with what was happening. It is this heartfelt care that differentiates us from others.

Daniel Simmons, PCA, CICU

Daniel felt called to work in the medical field after having a dream he was pushing someone in a wheelchair. He interpreted this dream as a sign from God that he was meant to help people. And he does this every day.

In every interaction with patients he demonstrates his genuine compassion and empathy. Jobe Nasca, a charge nurse in CICU, nominated Daniel for the President's Award. She said that he always goes out of his way to help others and gives patients extra care and attention.

Jobe recalled one time when an elderly lady arrived at our hospital. She had been in poor physical condition-terribly neglected. Her hair was matted, she apparently hadn't had a bath in a long time, and she had no friends or family with her. Daniel volunteered to work with the patient and gave her a bath and shampooed and trimmed the patient's hair. Jobe said that following Daniel's care, the patient was smiling ear to ear, which was something they had not seen since she had been admitted.

Another time, Jobe went downstairs to take care of something. When one of Jobe's patients' blood pressure began rising, Daniel ran downstairs to let her know immediately. Jobe said that Daniel treats every patient as if they were his own family and that he is constantly going out of his way to help others. There have even been patients who were previously in the CICU that requested Daniel when they had another admission to our CICU.

Susan Gautreaux, RN, Utilization Management

Recently a patient was directly admitted with a wound that was severely infected. The day before the infection was found, the patient was seen by home health and he had also visited a wound care center that was associated with another hospital in town. The family thought that things were fine. However, the infection was much more severe than they could ever have imagined. When the wound was uncovered by one of our nurses, the patient and family became very upset at the sight. They wondered how this could happen and they wanted to speak to someone right away.

Susan was nominated for the President's Award because of how she went beyond her role in care management to meet all this patient's needs in what was a stressful time for everyone. Mary Uter, who nominated Susan, said:

"Susan went into the patient's room and provided empathy and support. She drew upon her experience as a former home health nurse to ask key questions about the patient's home environment that could have played a role in the deterioration. She educated the family, helped them understand that this was not their fault. Additionally, Susan's experience as a former house supervisor helped prepare her for dealing with the heightened anxiety the family was feeling. She calmed everyone down, and, together with the bedside nurse and the wound care nurse, worked with the team to get a plan into action. Within minutes, a surgeon was there to assess the patient and get the needed care underway."

Mary also said that Susan always volunteers to do whatever is needed, often switching from the role of case manager to that of a social worker. She is extremely knowledgeable in her job and strives to provide every patient with the best care possible.

Stacey Monzon, RN, Oncology

When a patient woke up from a double mastectomy, she was in pain, confused, and didn't remember much about what happened before she was put to sleep. It was a scary time for her and her husband. But Stacey was there for the couple and held their hand throughout this critical time.

The patient had surgery in the morning and started waking up around 10 p.m. that evening. From the moment the patient opened her eyes, Stacey was a constant presence. Stacey, of course, had other patients, but the patient and her husband felt like they were the priority that night.

The husband said:

"Stacey guided us through every step. She made my wife as comfortable as possible and spent so much time with us. She was amazing. The hospitals back home just aren't like this. We never even had to use the buzzer because Stacey was always there."

The husband said that Stacey also fully prepared them for what to expect when she was discharged, so he felt very comfortable about caring for his wife at home.

Thank you, Stacey, for your expert care of this patient and her husband. They were very touched by your kindness and compassion and they will always remember you.

Team Award

ICU: Fabian Cezar, Margie Ardoin, Melissa Baughman, Dr. Matthew Rasberry
Respiratory: Alisha Burkett, Rebecca Ray, Shelly Ponville, Nichole McCann
Burn: Nicole Brown
Radiology: Amanda Stinson and Matthew Ivanyisky
ED: Dr. Scott Hayes

I'm sure many of you remember the tragic car accident several months ago involving a family from Georgia and an alleged drunk driver. A small child was killed and four adults were gravely injured and suffered major burns.

The four adults were taken to the General's Mid City campus, and because these patients were in such critical condition, the emergency room became immediately hectic.

One might think that with four patients, who were each intubated, along with all the existing patients, the ED staff could get quickly overwhelmed. This was not the case; however, because as soon as word spread that the ED would be receiving these patients, units around the hospital began shifting staff so that extra help could be sent down to the ED. Quickly, nurses from the ICU and Burn Unit began arriving in the ED, using their specific training to care for the patients.

When the call came in that the patients were on their way, there was only one doctor in the ED; however, Dr. Scott Hayes, who had just learned about the situation, was getting off duty at Bluebonnet. Immediately after the leaving the Bluebonnet campus, he drove straight to Mid City to help.

Radiology and Respiratory also came to the rescue, sending in extra staff to help. Both areas worked closely with the ED staff to ensure each patient's care.

Jennifer Gilmore, the Mid City Emergency Room manager, said that this event happened in the early morning hours, but that when she arrived around 8 a.m., the four patients had already been transferred out of the ED onto units. This was a great feat considering the number of patients and magnitude of their injuries.

Jennifer said: "When I arrived, everyone looked exhausted, but they were all smiling. They were proud of the work they had done and felt a real feeling of satisfaction-this is why they all went into emergency medicine."

I am so proud of what you accomplished that night and I know the patients' family members will always be grateful for the expert, compassionate care you provided. I also want to thank all of the other units around the hospital for pulling together to ensure the four patients received the best care possible.

This is what the General is all about-all of us working as a team to help those in a crisis. Thank you all for your dedication.