May 6th is National Nurse’s Day. This year more than ever I think we all recognize the heroic work of the nurses in our community.
I reached out to ask our nurses at Church Health for a story of a time they felt they made a difference in someone’s life.
Here’s a story from Ellen Morris:
Sandy had been seen at Church Health a couple of times over the past ten years and did not have health insurance when she called the clinic on a Monday in April indicating she had COVID-19 pneumonia. Her anxiety level was very high, to the point of fearing she might die. Living alone and being in quarantine only added to her anxiety. She had been to the emergency room twice in the past three days with shortness of breath, nausea, diarrhea and extreme fatigue. I called her daily to monitor her status, offer encouragement and reinforce symptom treatment. We scheduled an appointment for the following week to follow up on her pneumonia. The last time I spoke with Sandy, she thanked me profusely for the follow up calls and being available to check on her when she had nowhere else to turn.
If you have an opportunity to reach out to a nurse in your life, thank them for doing the hard work of caring for all of us, especially those who are scared and frightened and need a kind touch.
This is Dr. Susan Nelson for Church Health.