A 19-year-old, female patient was admitted to our ICU with a diagnosis of severe pharyngitis, positive for staphylococcus, and sepsis. This patient had a C-Section 3 weeks prior to this admission. She was nursing her baby, and was attempting to pump while hospitalized, but was afraid her milk was drying up. I contacted Carey Acosta RN, Lactation Specialist, and she worked wonders with this young patient.
About a week later I followed up with Carey to see how things went with this patient. She stated that she assessed there were some psychosocial issues the patient was dealing with. She talked in depth with the patient and found that she was diagnosed with and treated for PTSD at 15 years old due to a rape. The patient also identified that her current home situation was dysfunctional.
Carey discussed with her support options, and had her enrolled in the Florida Department of Health "Healthy Start Program". This program offers community support to the new mom and baby in multiple areas. Carey also called this patient at home after her discharge to ensure things were working well for her.
Carey was called to simply help this mom with lactation support, but due to her acute assessment skills she identified further issues and acted on them. Carey related to me that she has a concern for post-partum moms that are readmitted to the hospital. There is a higher incidence of post-partum depression in these women, and she wants to make sure these women are screened and offered the help and support they need.
This is Carey's 3rd DAISY Award!