Service Star of the Month

A husband and wife both became critically ill and needed intensive care. While the husband began to show signs of progress after several days on the medical-surgical intensive care unit, his wife’s condition rapidly deteriorated, and it became clear she wasn’t going to recover.

The husband had one request: to be in the same room with his wife so they could spend her final moments together. He asked his nurse, Patti Notte, R.N., to make it happen.

Because the husband and wife both needed several monitors, pumps and other medical equipment, sharing a room was not easy. Notte assessed the situation and the patients’ medical conditions. She then placed the husband on a portable monitor and brought him to his wife’s room. She positioned their beds so they could face each other and hold hands.

“Comfort care isn’t always easy; it takes extra effort,” says patient care specialist Lucy Cascioli, R.N. “Patti’s efforts made a profound impact on the patient and his family, and they touched us as well.”

Congratulations to Award Nominees

• Marilyn Pickett, general services, and Susan Weigand, R.N., and Evelyn Uhler, R.N., behavioral health
• Timothy Steckel, M.D., hospitalist
• Lorraine Gyauch, R.N., Cancer Center
• Russell Blair, M.D., pastoral care
• Daniel Valancius, M.D., internal medicine

To nominate a star, go on the intranet at lvh.com. Go to the “What’s New” box and click on Nominate a Service Star.

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