April 2024
Kim
Hall
,
RN
Case Management
CHI St. Alexius Health Bismarck
Bismarck
,
ND
United States
We will never forget Kim and her persistence in fulfilling a family's wish to get their loved one home.
My dad was taken by ambulance to St. Alexius Hospital in Bismarck, ND, after suffering a heart attack. Doctors and staff worked incessantly to repair what they could on Dad's heart. He was taken to the ICU for close observation and to begin numerous medications with the hope that he would improve enough for another round of surgery; however, Dad's heart and kidneys suffered too much damage, and we learned that another surgery would be too big of a risk. Dad was a rancher all his life and talked about getting home to his cattle, and after learning that home hospice was an option, my mom, brother, and I decided to pursue that option.
During Dad's stay in the hospital, Kim Hall, RN case manager, met with us to discuss discharge options. Kim was committed to Dad's quality of life, knowing that he wanted to go home. No one knew how much time he would have left, but we all had one common goal with Kim—getting Dad home where he was comfortable.
Dad lived in an extremely rural area in South Dakota where there were limited resources. Kim sat down with us and started going through different things that dad would need in order for effective hospice at home:
1) He would need a hospital bed and medical supplies, including oxygen, and that meant finding some place that would offer oxygen service to his home.
2) He would need a Primary Care Physician (dad never wanted medical attention and grew up in an era where medical attention wasn't always available).
3) He would need a nurse to come in a few times a week to assist with medications and medical care.
Kim started making phone calls right away, trying to get these things in order. Kim worked tirelessly as she called place after place explaining Dad's situation and the urgent need to get him home. She never gave up until a solution was found, and eventually, after some difficult conversations with providers and businesses not returning her calls, she was able to locate a non-profit in a neighboring town to mom and dad that would assist with the medical bed and supplies; she found an oxygen provider that serviced mom and dad's area, and she found a wonderful home health company many miles away that would take dad on as a hospice patient and would also work to find a PCP for dad. Kim even lined up an ambulance to take Dad home so he would have access to oxygen and a more comfortable ride.
It was great to have Dad home in an environment that was quiet, comfortable, and familiar. Dad lived about 2 days after getting him home, but he was home with his family, and that's all that mattered. We will never forget Kim and her persistence in fulfilling a family's wish to get their loved one home. I am positive that her dedication to the patients and families she works with every day makes an immense impact on their lives.
During Dad's stay in the hospital, Kim Hall, RN case manager, met with us to discuss discharge options. Kim was committed to Dad's quality of life, knowing that he wanted to go home. No one knew how much time he would have left, but we all had one common goal with Kim—getting Dad home where he was comfortable.
Dad lived in an extremely rural area in South Dakota where there were limited resources. Kim sat down with us and started going through different things that dad would need in order for effective hospice at home:
1) He would need a hospital bed and medical supplies, including oxygen, and that meant finding some place that would offer oxygen service to his home.
2) He would need a Primary Care Physician (dad never wanted medical attention and grew up in an era where medical attention wasn't always available).
3) He would need a nurse to come in a few times a week to assist with medications and medical care.
Kim started making phone calls right away, trying to get these things in order. Kim worked tirelessly as she called place after place explaining Dad's situation and the urgent need to get him home. She never gave up until a solution was found, and eventually, after some difficult conversations with providers and businesses not returning her calls, she was able to locate a non-profit in a neighboring town to mom and dad that would assist with the medical bed and supplies; she found an oxygen provider that serviced mom and dad's area, and she found a wonderful home health company many miles away that would take dad on as a hospice patient and would also work to find a PCP for dad. Kim even lined up an ambulance to take Dad home so he would have access to oxygen and a more comfortable ride.
It was great to have Dad home in an environment that was quiet, comfortable, and familiar. Dad lived about 2 days after getting him home, but he was home with his family, and that's all that mattered. We will never forget Kim and her persistence in fulfilling a family's wish to get their loved one home. I am positive that her dedication to the patients and families she works with every day makes an immense impact on their lives.