Inside Duke Medicine

Strength, Hope and Caring 2009

Unit 4200 Nursing and Respiratory Therapy received the 2009 Team Strength, Hope and Caring Award.

Traditions abound in our great state. They range from fun to the fundamental—from March Madness to the legacy and philanthropy of the Duke Family.

Duke University Health System itself has a tradition of providing excellent patient care, from the day Duke Hospital opened in 1930 right up to the present moment.

The Strength, Hope and Caring program, launched in 2004, recognizes members of the team whose actions epitomize service excellence by telling the stories of the impacts employees have on the lives of our patients and on our team.
The program has become an integral part of Duke University Health System’s rewards and recognition programs.

The stories here illustrate how, each day, our colleagues are strengthening families and teams, igniting the light of hope, and providing phenomenal care. They’re also embracing challenges in exceptional ways — in the tradition of North Carolina, in the tradition of Duke.

“Excellence and innovation are two of our core values,” said Duke University Hospital President Kevin Sowers, MSN, RN, FAAN. “Our Strength, Hope and Caring Award winners carry the North Carolina tradition of excellence in their hearts and bring this tradition to life through their hands as they positively impact lives through their daily work.”

From all the winners from the past program year, which runs from August to September, “the best of the best” were chosen from each award category.

For DUH, the categories are Clinical, Non-Clinical, Physician, Leadership and Team. Ambulatory Care has four categories: Clinical, Non-Clinical, Provider and Team.

It’s an honor to share their stories with you.

Duke Hospital Award Winners

Clay Bordley, M.D.
Pediatrics
Physician Award

An 11-year-old came into the ED with heat exposure after waiting for five hours to receive free school supplies for underprivileged kids. According to the nominator, after seeing the young patient’s disappointment, “Dr. Bordley went to the campus store and bought her a blue Duke backpack, Duke stickers, Duke pencils and a stuffed animal with the Duke logo. He hand-delivered her new backpack and apologized that she had missed out on her other supplies…. He makes us all better at what we do because he cares so much about what he does.”

Unit 4200 Nursing and Respiratory Therapy
Team Award

The nursing staff and respiratory therapy staff on 4200 went above and beyond to give a Guillain-Barre syndrome patient a sense of normalcy. Since the patient was ventilator-dependent and unable to move, she was confined to her room, which made her feel anxious and discouraged at times. The staff decided to give her a different view of the hospital by taking her up to the ninth floor to see out over the campus. According to the nominator, this trip required transfer to a stretcher and transportation with her nurse, respiratory therapist, and portable ventilator. Her nominator added: “This was her first trip out of the unit, and [though] she couldn’t smile, you could see the delight in her eyes.” The team also coordinated efforts so that her family could visit with her during the holidays, enabling her to see her newborn niece, her husband, and even her favorite dog. This truly meant a lot to this patient and her family, who continue to sing the praises of this award-winning team.

Laura Blue, NP
Heart Center
Clinical Award

A critically ill Cardiothoracic ICU patient, a single mother of two, had no one to assume the care of her children except for her boyfriend, who was not the biological father. According to the nominator, “The patient wanted to marry her boyfriend so that her children would have a father and the family would remain intact. When the patient told Laura Blue of her predicament, Laura planned a wedding to occur in the ICU.” Even through a few barriers and delays, Laura persevered until the wedding could occur.

Marie Peluso, RN, BSN
Pediatrics-Neonatal Unit

Marie is recognized for her care for all of her patients and, in particular, care for those whose short lives are coming to an end. Her nominator wrote: “When our best efforts are not enough to save our youngest and most fragile of patients, Marie makes sure we get their care right.

She is a proactive advocate for the child and the family. For the child, she makes sure that any pain is closely managed and that the child has human contact and comfort. For the family, she makes sure they understand what is going on with their child, that their wishes are understood and honored by the clinical team, and that they get their time to bond with their child and understand the importance of this time. …

She makes sure the team works together and that they understand everyone’s perspectives. Additionally, for a dying child, she will coordinate with Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep, a volunteer service of professional photographers, to make certain the family has a beautiful collection of photographs capturing the warmth and wonder of their child.

On many occasions, she will come in from home if a child is dying, to make sure that the family is taken care of and be an extra set of caring hands for that child.

Her nominator continued, “She is a great nurse who, at the toughest of times, becomes the greatest of nurses. She has an inner strength that inspires when the strength of others often falters, provides a hope that, even in [the face of] death, life is worth living, and provides a sense of caring when we all need it the most.”

Walter Ray Smith
Patient Transporter, Patient Transport Services
Non-Clinical Award

Ray Smith, a transporter with Patient Transport Services and a van driver for the Hospital Shuttle Service, was nominated for personally cooking meals for 25 patients and families.

Each month, he makes dinner for the residents at the Caring House, which provides patients and families an affordable place to stay during outpatient treatments. Ray pays for the food out of his own pocket, and brings his church groups to join him in singing to the patients after they have had a hearty, welcomed, home-cooked meal.

His nominator wrote of one instance when Ray did so: “After working for eight hours, Ray went directly to the Caring House, where he already had his cooker set up with the food ready to cook. With a little help Ray cooked the food and served it to the families of the Caring House. After dinner had been served, Ray and three of his church friends sang. Everyone in attendance had a great time along with a good meal. I can’t put into words how much this selfless gesture touched me and the other people in attendance.”

Ambulatory Care Award Winners

ALS Clinic
Team Award

The ALS team received two letters from patients, both describing how the team members had changed their lives. The patients and their families remarked how grateful they were to receive care from this team. One patient stated in his letter: “Although I despise the circumstances under which we’ve met, I am grateful for this group of people. I can honestly say that I love the Duke clinic team.” Another letter from a patient stated: “It is a known fact that many victims of ALS, upon hearing of their diagnosis, do not return to their clinics or physicians. They feel there is no hope, and that nothing can be done. All I can say is they must not have visited the Duke ALS Clinic. This team is what keeps me going, giving me information, hope, and reason to continue fighting. Thanks, Duke ALS Clinic!”

Jean Strickland
Patient Account Analyst, PRMO
Administrative Award

Jean Strickland joined Duke after accepting a position as a medical assistance counselor with the PRMO. Jean’s compassion and commitment to the patients with whom she works, her knowledge of insurance eligibility, professionalism, and “don’t stop until it’s done” attitude make her an invaluable member of the PRMO team. Jean has received many commendations over the years, but it was a letter from one patient in particular which resulted in a Strength, Hope, and Caring Award. A patient arrived at the hospital in serious condition and needed to have surgery. Due to her lack of insurance and desire to not burden her family with the cost, the patient elected to not have the surgery. Her father asked to speak to a financial representative, and as the patient stated in her letter, they met “one of the greatest professionals and most ethical, compassionate, knowledgeable, and determined person one could ever pray to have help them—Jean Strickland.” Jean immediately started the process of assisting this patient, who eventually had the surgery. The patient wrote: “She was always there for me and absolutely selfless in her pursuit to make right the wrongs.”

Ann King, RN
Duke Health Center at North Duke Street
Clinical Award

Ann King received 19 nominations from her colleagues, and they all carried a common theme—the caring and compassion Ann exhibits toward her patients, co-workers, and to those in the community. As one nominator stated, “Her leadership style is unique in that she consistently exudes a calm peacefulness while she is always in control of a situation. Her sense of humor and easy laughter permeate her conversation.” Ann is the consummate patient advocate, the fixer of problems, the negotiator in difficult situations, and the peacemaker in the midst of the storm.

Michael Blazing, M.D.
Cardiology
Provider Award

During the nominator’s visit to Duke Cardiology of Lumberton, Dr. Michael Blazing immediately realized that she was in trouble and needed to be hospitalized. Since Dr. Blazing was leaving for a trip abroad, the patient was admitted under the care of another cardiologist. Even though he was going away, he kept the lines of communication open via phone and e-mail. The patient wrote: “I feel that Dr. Blazing shows strength by willing to be involved with his patients’ needs. He shows that he cares by always being willing to help. And I have hope because he will not give up on my complicated medical condition.”