On Dec 4th Mike had a patient that was homeless and extremely dirty. Mike
went beyond a simple nursing assessment for the physical complaint and
gave the patient a wash clothe and water so that the patient could attempt
to clean himself up. Mike then came and asked if my church had a clothes
closet because he had given the patient the ability to wash up but his
clothes were filthy and he would need a change. We determined he would
wear approximately a size 40 so I called the church to see if my friend
would look to see if there was something that might work for this patient.
She called me shortly to say that she had found coveralls that were a size
44. I went to get the clothes so that Mike could continue to provide care
for his patient assignment. On the way back to the hospital I wondered
about the patient's feet so I called Mike to see the status-he said he had
large feet and his shoes were in horrible condition. He also mentioned
that Cindy from registration was thinking of getting him a pair of shoes
so I stopped at Walmart to get a package of warm socks. When Cindy
registered the patient his story brought her to tears. After speaking with
Mike and knowing what he had initiated she shared the story with her co
workers. They started collecting money from their purses and even during
the Christmas season when money was tight they collected about $150. The
registration ladies along with the ED case manager took 1 hour PTO to go
shopping for this patient. They were able to purchase a coat, hat, gloves,
underwear, long johns, shoes (size 16), 2 sweat suits, socks and a few
other items including a bag to carry all of this in. They also included
fruit and money for him to eat. The excitement of the registration staff
while shopping at Walmart made the cashier curious and resulted in the
manager giving them 10-20% off each item purchased. The patient
appreciative and touched by this gesture was able to put on clean warm
clothes before leaving with a huge smile on his face. Even though this is
a group effort to ensure all needs of the patient were met - it started
with one nurse looking at the whole picture of what is going on with the
patient and attempting to meet as many needs as possible in the short time
the patient is in our care. All associates recognized the need and
considered their resources and initiated care beyond the patient's medical
needs, they thought of his physical and emotional well being.

After thought-This patient is still seen by staff on the sidewalks near
Methodist North in the very shoes, coat and hat that was given to him.