April 2021
Kenneth (Jake)
Bertch
,
RN, BSN
Surgical Progressive and Intensive Care Unit
Strong Memorial Hospital
Rochester
,
NY
United States

 

 

 

Jake went above and beyond to keep us informed and encouraged. Behind his professional demeanor, we got to see his passion for what he does.
Jake has been instrumental over the past several months in helping a young patient get discharged safely. Jake is our unit Care Coordinator, who with this particular patient and family, went above his normal care coordination duties. Jake orchestrated countless family meetings with multiple teams, supported the patient and family in the teaching necessary, and supported all staff members. I am in awe of the dedication and true compassion.

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Jake is our care coordinator and recently dealt with a very complex discharge process for a patient that had been with us for 266 days. He spent countless hours with the family, teaching them how to care for their son at home, organized many meetings with home care, social work, and provider teams to make sure all the patient’s and family’s needs were being met. He was a coach, a mentor, and a friend to the patient and family, and his compassion shined through.

***

Jake took on our unit's vacant care coordinator role this year and has excelled in keeping the unit running smoothly. He recently helped a long-term, very complicated patient get discharged home between surgeries by providing the patient and their family with extensive education on medications and equipment. This patient would never have been able to enjoy time at home without Jake’s patience and compassion.

***

My son has a lengthy in-patient history with Strong, and through it all Jake went above and beyond to keep us informed and encouraged. Behind his professional demeanor, we got to see his passion for what he does. While still managing his entire caseload, we do feel Jake provided much more than routine care for my son and his family (as did so many others). For that, we will be forever grateful. Thank you all for everything.