Complex Care Unit
July 2025
Complex Care Unit
5A
Orlando Regional Medical Center
Orlando
,
FL
United States
Kathryn Camplin RN
Donald Green RN
Donald Green RN
J arrived as a trauma alert at ORMC as a DOE. He was driving a scooter and was struck by a motor vehicle at an unknown speed. His girlfriend was also on the scooter and was admitted as a patient as well. He was immediately intubated with a brain bleed and spinal fractures.
J and his girlfriend were alone in America, with his family living in Venezuela, having not seen him in person in about 10 years. During J’s stay at ORMC, he underwent a craniectomy, ICP bolt monitor, bronchoscopy, peg tube placement, trach placement, subsequent cranioplasty, and scalp rotational flap reconstruction.
His parents (and proxy) were in Venezuela and unable to participate in his care. Due to the political and economic climate of Venezuela, his parents were only able to be reached via WhatsApp. WhatsApp is not recognized or used by Orlando Health as a secure form of communication. Very often, even when able to connect via the girlfriend using her WhatsApp, the power would unexpectedly be cut in Venezuela, and they would lose communication.
His parents immediately began to try to obtain their passports/visas to be able to come to his bedside and participate in his care, but the process is long. J was also uninsured, and here in Florida on a working visa.
J spent a lot of time on many units here at ORMC: The ED, Trauma ICU, Neuro-stepdown, ICC, Neuro10N, finally landing on 5A, the Complex Care Unit, where he remained until he was cleared for discharge.
While all the life-saving work went on in the ED, ICU, NSD, ICC, the life-changing work went on when the patient came to 5A, the Complex-Care Unit. Something about J’s life and story really connected with the nurses and physicians on 5A, and he instantly became everyone’s favorite patient.
Kathryn Camplin, the nurse manager on 5A, used WhatsApp on her personal phone each shift to video chat with the family so they could see J and talk to him every day. Even when J was moved to other units, you could see Kathryn running around the hospital with various nurses: Natalie, Yadira, or Mariolga to translate and meet with the doctors to chat with his parents directly and facilitate short video visits daily.
When she was unable to, one of the Senior Nurse Interns, Mariolga, would also help to facilitate these daily visits. Ultimately, a meeting was arranged with the complex care manager, physician, nurse manager via WhatsApp, and an in-person translator, and the patient’s family to discuss goals of care. It was revealed that ultimately, they wanted J back home in Venezuela, and everyone got to work.
Just a month later, everything was in place! The complex care manager, Dahlia, worked with SkyNurses to get J back home with his family. It was arranged through the Venezuelan consulate for J to be repatriated, and a hospital was located for him to be transferred to.
This is where some magic came to be.
Mariolga, a Senior Nurse Intern on 5A, realized that we were sending J to a hospital in Venezuela where she used to work, being from Venezuela herself. Mariolga collaborated with the nurse manager, and it was discovered that Jhonnys’ parents lived in the same town as her parents.
Mariolga explained what hospitals are like in Venezuela. Venezuelan hospitals are nothing like American hospitals, she described nurses having to buy their own medicines and supplies to treat the patients in the hospital. Also, nurses or families would have to bring food to these hospitals to feed their own loved ones. Anything like beds, sheets, and pillows would also have to be provided by families.
Because Venezuela often has power cuts at any time, there was no predicting when he would be disconnected from his tube feeding or left un-airconditioned in a tropical climate. In fact, the hospital did not even have central AC. This was very concerning to the care team to send a patient that they have cared for for so long, to live out the rest of his life in such a place.
Mariolga approached Kathryn, Nurse Manager of 5A, to start a donation among the team to help his family in Venezuela. Coming to know the family through all the visits, Mariolga knew the family did not have the resources they would need to provide care for J, and she felt strongly about helping.
Mariolga coordinated with her father to deliver needed supplies to the family at the hospital. On the day that he left with SkyNurses, the 5A team had raised $1000 for J and his family. With this $1000, Mariolga’s father purchased, delivered, and installed a mini-split air conditioner unit, a generator, a portable suction machine, and various medical supplies.
To this day, Mariolga stays in contact with them to help and guide them in the care of their son, walking them through dressing changes, bolus tube feeding, how to clean an incontinent patient, and general questions about his medical care. Mariolga’s parents continue to visit J and his family weekly, as they have developed a bond without borders.
His parents and sister were overjoyed, despite his medical condition, to be reunited with him after almost 10 years. Via WhatsApp, they expressed their deepest gratitude to Orlando Health for everything they have done for their son, as well as the doctors and nurses who saved their son’s life.
They expressed their deepest gratitude to Kathryn for the consistent communication and video visits, and to all the nurses and nursing assistants who cared for their son during his 100-day hospital stay. His parents continue to pray that one day, their son will be able to move around on his own.
J and his girlfriend were alone in America, with his family living in Venezuela, having not seen him in person in about 10 years. During J’s stay at ORMC, he underwent a craniectomy, ICP bolt monitor, bronchoscopy, peg tube placement, trach placement, subsequent cranioplasty, and scalp rotational flap reconstruction.
His parents (and proxy) were in Venezuela and unable to participate in his care. Due to the political and economic climate of Venezuela, his parents were only able to be reached via WhatsApp. WhatsApp is not recognized or used by Orlando Health as a secure form of communication. Very often, even when able to connect via the girlfriend using her WhatsApp, the power would unexpectedly be cut in Venezuela, and they would lose communication.
His parents immediately began to try to obtain their passports/visas to be able to come to his bedside and participate in his care, but the process is long. J was also uninsured, and here in Florida on a working visa.
J spent a lot of time on many units here at ORMC: The ED, Trauma ICU, Neuro-stepdown, ICC, Neuro10N, finally landing on 5A, the Complex Care Unit, where he remained until he was cleared for discharge.
While all the life-saving work went on in the ED, ICU, NSD, ICC, the life-changing work went on when the patient came to 5A, the Complex-Care Unit. Something about J’s life and story really connected with the nurses and physicians on 5A, and he instantly became everyone’s favorite patient.
Kathryn Camplin, the nurse manager on 5A, used WhatsApp on her personal phone each shift to video chat with the family so they could see J and talk to him every day. Even when J was moved to other units, you could see Kathryn running around the hospital with various nurses: Natalie, Yadira, or Mariolga to translate and meet with the doctors to chat with his parents directly and facilitate short video visits daily.
When she was unable to, one of the Senior Nurse Interns, Mariolga, would also help to facilitate these daily visits. Ultimately, a meeting was arranged with the complex care manager, physician, nurse manager via WhatsApp, and an in-person translator, and the patient’s family to discuss goals of care. It was revealed that ultimately, they wanted J back home in Venezuela, and everyone got to work.
Just a month later, everything was in place! The complex care manager, Dahlia, worked with SkyNurses to get J back home with his family. It was arranged through the Venezuelan consulate for J to be repatriated, and a hospital was located for him to be transferred to.
This is where some magic came to be.
Mariolga, a Senior Nurse Intern on 5A, realized that we were sending J to a hospital in Venezuela where she used to work, being from Venezuela herself. Mariolga collaborated with the nurse manager, and it was discovered that Jhonnys’ parents lived in the same town as her parents.
Mariolga explained what hospitals are like in Venezuela. Venezuelan hospitals are nothing like American hospitals, she described nurses having to buy their own medicines and supplies to treat the patients in the hospital. Also, nurses or families would have to bring food to these hospitals to feed their own loved ones. Anything like beds, sheets, and pillows would also have to be provided by families.
Because Venezuela often has power cuts at any time, there was no predicting when he would be disconnected from his tube feeding or left un-airconditioned in a tropical climate. In fact, the hospital did not even have central AC. This was very concerning to the care team to send a patient that they have cared for for so long, to live out the rest of his life in such a place.
Mariolga approached Kathryn, Nurse Manager of 5A, to start a donation among the team to help his family in Venezuela. Coming to know the family through all the visits, Mariolga knew the family did not have the resources they would need to provide care for J, and she felt strongly about helping.
Mariolga coordinated with her father to deliver needed supplies to the family at the hospital. On the day that he left with SkyNurses, the 5A team had raised $1000 for J and his family. With this $1000, Mariolga’s father purchased, delivered, and installed a mini-split air conditioner unit, a generator, a portable suction machine, and various medical supplies.
To this day, Mariolga stays in contact with them to help and guide them in the care of their son, walking them through dressing changes, bolus tube feeding, how to clean an incontinent patient, and general questions about his medical care. Mariolga’s parents continue to visit J and his family weekly, as they have developed a bond without borders.
His parents and sister were overjoyed, despite his medical condition, to be reunited with him after almost 10 years. Via WhatsApp, they expressed their deepest gratitude to Orlando Health for everything they have done for their son, as well as the doctors and nurses who saved their son’s life.
They expressed their deepest gratitude to Kathryn for the consistent communication and video visits, and to all the nurses and nursing assistants who cared for their son during his 100-day hospital stay. His parents continue to pray that one day, their son will be able to move around on his own.