We have a Cuban Spanish speaker on the floor with a trach and whose family member does not speak any English. We struggled as a unit, trying to explain instructions, medical terms, and the overall diagnosis for the patient. Lauren, our director, learned about this patient's situation and jumped into action without hesitation. She started asking questions about what the patient's life after UMC would look like, advocated for as much education as possible for the family to feel confident going home with the patient, and started making calls to figure out the best plan for their future care. She created an educational question list in English and Cuban Spanish for the staff and the patient's family to keep in the room so that everyone was on the same page. She confirmed with the charge nurses and the patient's nurse that those questions were to be gone over as much as possible so that we were giving the family the best possible chance of taking care of the patient once out of the hospital. She called social workers to get different facility options, home health possibilities, and an overall look at what UMC could do for them.

Lauren didn't stop there, she started talking about getting one of our Spanish speaking staff in here who had a similar dialect. She worked on arrangements to have a Spanish speaker designated to stay with the patient for a full week without other work obligations to answer remaining questions, provide education where still needed, and provide the support that will be needed. She also talked to our assistant director about compiling a travel trach bag for the family so that they would feel more prepared and have proper equipment in case of an emergency. She advocated for this patient until they left the hospital to give them and their family the best possible chance of success.

Lauren is not only the director of this unit but also the biggest supporter and cheerleader for all of the staff, especially for our patients. Thank you, Lauren, for creating such an amazing environment for everyone to grow and flourish.