Chacey Surles
May 2019
Chacey
Surles
,
ADN, RN
Neuroscience ICU/PCU
Parkland Health & Hospital System
Dallas
,
TX
United States

 

 

 

Chacey Surles exemplifies the grace, patience, and understanding that is so often overlooked in our profession. Her role in our unit is Family Support: however, she is more than the role she has been given. One situation that I want to shed light on is about a patient she has once taken care of who has just come to the U.S. and had a stroke. Because of their immigration status, this patient was not eligible for insurance or hospital financial support. The family who had the seriousness of undertaking this patient had a couple of kids and the mother was the sole breadwinner for the family. Due to the location of the stroke, all her daily necessities made her a total care patient. Due to the patient's illness, the daughter of the patient was always at her bedside. The family had many things to overcome during this tough time period in their life. One was that they lived in a 2nd floor apartment with no elevator access to the top. The second was that the breadwinner of the family was let go of her job because of how many days she took off from work. Due to the sensitivity of the patient's religious and cultural needs, Chacey went after work to reach out to religious communities in the DFW metroplex. She knocked on many doors and many doors were closed on her but she continued her fight in needing to help. She researched many cultural affiliates related to the patient without disclosing the patient's information and tried to set up possible volunteer, if not community service, for the patient. In this way, the breadwinner could go back to work and help keep the lights on and support their family. After countless weeks with social work, the hospital, and the housing situation, the family finally got a break when their insurance was approved. Her hard work and persistence in making sure that we gave this patient the dignified support she needs is why she is a DAISY Nurse. She exemplifies dedication to the health and well-being of individuals and communities entrusted to her care. Her actions define the standards of excellence for public health and they are the ethos our hospital stands by. It is not only an honor but a true pleasure to work by her side and continue the fight in helping our community.