Jemima Amankwah
October 2022
Jemima
Amankwah
,
RN
Emergency Mental Health
UMass Memorial Medical Center
Worcester
,
MA
United States
She makes it safe for everyone around her to learn and build confidence.
Jemima is a dynamic leader who has an exceptional ability to remain calm under the most intense situations, whether it is a complex behavioral health patient or a joint commission visit, she is rock solid. When there was a gap in leadership in the emergency mental health unit (EMH), Jemima did not hesitate to jump in to ensure that staff had leadership support. As we have all heard on the news, the pediatric behavioral health crisis is the worst that the commonwealth of Massachusetts has faced, with boarding in emergency departments being recorded in weeks and not hours. Jemima led the care team to develop individualized care plans for these children to ensure their safety and to meet their needs as best we could.
To give an example of how Jemima goes above and beyond, she led the EMH team through a very acute pediatric case that was extremely complex. The patient was on 5E after a suicide attempt and after her medical clearance boarded on the floor for weeks while waiting for placement. This patient was frequently the main topic during our multidisciplinary pediatric behavioral health meetings. To share some details of this case, this patient had the police called on them over 50 times for dysregulation and assaultive episodes many requiring restraints. These were frequently reported on our hospital-wide safety call.
That said, through Jemima’s advocacy and leadership, the care team decided the safest and best option was to transfer the patient into EMH. Having someone move from an inpatient bed to the ED to board is an extremely rare occurrence. Jemima worked with the entire care team to prepare and work through this very unusual scenario. I will never forget after Jemima took the patient out for a walk down by the lake, Jemima had the patient run up to me and say Hi. This was such an impactful moment for me and meant so much because this was the first time, I saw this patient smile and act like a kid. I also know that this meant so much to the patient as she was able to do something normal and go outside. Jemima would say, I didn’t do anything special, but to this patient, it meant the world.
Jemima has also served as a resource to our inpatient pediatric team which is just developing its clinical expertise in the care of a child who has behavioral health needs. She partnered with our NESS on de-escalation tactics and the use of the restraint chair when all other options had failed. She makes it safe for everyone around her to learn and build confidence. There have been some significant safety events in EMH that Jemima has led her team through. Her staff will say that she is approachable, honest, and supportive. She has a commitment to zero harm for both her patients and her staff.
To give an example of how Jemima goes above and beyond, she led the EMH team through a very acute pediatric case that was extremely complex. The patient was on 5E after a suicide attempt and after her medical clearance boarded on the floor for weeks while waiting for placement. This patient was frequently the main topic during our multidisciplinary pediatric behavioral health meetings. To share some details of this case, this patient had the police called on them over 50 times for dysregulation and assaultive episodes many requiring restraints. These were frequently reported on our hospital-wide safety call.
That said, through Jemima’s advocacy and leadership, the care team decided the safest and best option was to transfer the patient into EMH. Having someone move from an inpatient bed to the ED to board is an extremely rare occurrence. Jemima worked with the entire care team to prepare and work through this very unusual scenario. I will never forget after Jemima took the patient out for a walk down by the lake, Jemima had the patient run up to me and say Hi. This was such an impactful moment for me and meant so much because this was the first time, I saw this patient smile and act like a kid. I also know that this meant so much to the patient as she was able to do something normal and go outside. Jemima would say, I didn’t do anything special, but to this patient, it meant the world.
Jemima has also served as a resource to our inpatient pediatric team which is just developing its clinical expertise in the care of a child who has behavioral health needs. She partnered with our NESS on de-escalation tactics and the use of the restraint chair when all other options had failed. She makes it safe for everyone around her to learn and build confidence. There have been some significant safety events in EMH that Jemima has led her team through. Her staff will say that she is approachable, honest, and supportive. She has a commitment to zero harm for both her patients and her staff.