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Below is a letter recognizing the outstanding team at Nursing Station 61 and their
commitment to excellence.
“I wanted to write this sooner than this, but as you can understand, when you have
an elderly parent dealing with a new and sudden onset of an illness, it can take a
lot of time to get them acclimated to their new normal.
On December 31, 2024, my mother, Irma was rushed to Downstate Hospital in dire straits.
She was having chest pains, labored breathing, and severe swelling throughout her
entire body. I knew that she was not feeling well, because she did not fight me to
call the ambulance. Upon arrival, she was placed in the isolation room, because it
was the only space available, and was quickly assessed by the team in the ED, to ensure
that she was not in imminent danger of going into cardiac arrest. Even with the ED
being as busy as it was, my mother was made very comfortable and was looked on quite
often. The doctors and staff were very clear about what tests were being performed
and what was the reasoning behind them. I believe that communication is paramount
in any situation, but, especially when the patient is in an environment where everyone
and everything is coming at them all at once. This can be overwhelming for anyone
in that situation, but for the elderly patient, even more so.
After a battery of tests, she was diagnosed with COPD and Asymptomatic CHF, she was
placed on a CPAP machine and was monitored for several hours in the ED. She was admitted
the next day to the medicine floor for more testing and to stabilize her condition.
My mother could not stop talking about the nursing staff on NS61! Every time that
I went to visit her, there was always a smile on her face and kind words for the nurse
or aide who was taking care of her that day. This can only come from excellent leadership
and direction, and I want to take this time to thank the ADN Nurse Sheryl for the
dedication to excellence that is has exemplified through her staff.
Well done! In the midst of the chaos, a lovely young man from the Social Services
department, a Mr. Sam Young was assigned to my mother's case. I don't know where
you got this angel from, but God bless him. He called me almost every day to inform
me of my mother's progress and what her options were upon discharge. He helped to
facilitate the procuring of the equipment that my mother will need when she returns
home. My mother voiced concern about being able to walk and that her legs were in
so much pain. He took the time to really listen to her and empathized with her desire
to regain her mobility. Mr. Young walked me through the steps of what I should expect
while obtaining authorization from her insurance company and kept me looped in during
each stage. Although the vast majority of our healthcare systems are working with
tremendous staffing deficits, I would never know that to be an issue from all of the
attention that my mother received whilst admitted under your care.”
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