Heidi Ripp
May 2025
Heidi
Ripp
,
RN, BSN, RNC
Women's Center
Samaritan Albany General Hospital
Albany
,
OR
United States
We credit Heidi with saving both of their lives that day!
We want to submit Heidi Ripp for the Daisy Foundation Award respectfully. Heidi holds a special place in the hearts of our entire family due to the compassion and excellent care she has provided throughout our family's five births at Samaritan Albany General Hospital. In August 1991, Heidi was present at E's birth. During that event, complications arose that, in Heidi's opinion, endangered the lives of the mother, T, and the baby, E. Heidi stood firm in her analysis of the situation and firmly and persistently encouraged the doctor to act quickly to ensure the safety of Teresa and Emily. Because of Heidi's assertive interjection when the physician refused to act, T and E are both still with us today. We credit Heidi with saving both of their lives that day!
In January of 2014, E went into labor with A. T was by E's side and recognized a familiar face in the room from 22 years prior. T looked at Heidi and struck up a conversation. As the conversation progressed, T began to share specific details about her labor with E, and Heidi remembered E's birth as if it had taken place the day before. Once again, complications arose during this labor and delivery. The physician, at one point, got overly firm with E and told her to "Shut up and listen to me!". As you can imagine, that added an immense amount of stress to the situation. Once A had arrived, the seriousness of the problem became evident when she had to be revived twice shortly after birth and was swept from the labor room to the nursery for critical care. As you can imagine, being a brand-new mother, looking up and seeing your room filled to the brim with doctors and nurses, and having your newlyborn child swept out of the room without even touching them or holding them or saying welcome to the world can be a traumatic and emotional event. As these events transpired, Heidi stayed by E's side, comforting her and explaining to E what was taking place. E, being emotionally fragile in this situation, felt immense comfort and as much relief as possible in that situation because of Heidi's compassion while caring for E postpartum.
Over the next few hours, E wanted to see A for the first time, and Heidi was right there with her. Every step of the way, helping E both physically and emotionally through the process. She stood by E while in the nursery and helped E maneuver so that she could hold A for the first time while she was connected to numerous monitors. The first contact between a mother and child is one that is so powerful; facing challenges, Heidi was able to make that possible for E and A.
In April 2015, E welcomed T into the world, and Heidi was once again E's Labor Nurse. This labor and delivery was pretty routine, and no complications arose. Heidi provided the same level of care and showed the same amount of compassion to E. Nearly seven years later, in February 2022, E went into labor with R. When we arrived at the hospital, we made our way to the labor room. This labor progressed very rapidly, and about an hour before R was born, Heidi arrived after being called into work early.
When she walked into the room, she did a double take between E lying in the bed and the chart. Her first words to E were not an introduction but an exclamation: 'You have a different last name!' During Heidi's first assessment of E, she noticed that the epidural was not appropriately managing her pain. Not wanting E to be in pain, she stepped out of the room and tracked down the anesthesiologist, who was still on the floor and asked him to take another look because of the amount of pain she was experiencing. This delivery occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic when strict visitor restrictions were in place.
While E was pushing, Heidi was right there next to her once again, cheering her on and filling the void left by T's absence from the hospital. When E and R were discharged, Heidi saw the call light come on and raced J to our room, beating her. This was an accurate display of the compassion, care, and follow-through that Heidi lives her life with. Our family's latest addition occurred in November 2024. E was admitted during the evening the day before she was scheduled to be induced. In the morning, Heidi arrived at work to be in charge that day, but once she realized E had been admitted and was due to start the induction process, she was able to switch so that she could be there for E for the fifth time. This pregnancy had gone from simple and easy to stressful in the final weeks of pregnancy. E had been experiencing Pregnancy Hypertension, and this was also E's first time being induced, and she was very anxious about the process. Heidi was the calm that E needed. You could see E's pulse and blood pressure decrease the second Heidi walked into the room.
As labor progressed, Heidi was constantly vigilant of E's pain management, labor progression, and mental well-being. Heidi could look at E and could tell if she was attempting to hide her pain or discomfort. She was able to know that the epidural was once again not working appropriately and ended up calling the anesthesiologist three different times to try and find E comfort and ease her pain. When it came time to push, the epidural was not functional at all, and E felt every bit of this labor. Unknown to us until after delivery, the procedure room was being prepared for an emergency c-section for E to deliver B due to E's level of pain and B not dropping.
Heidi never raised the concern that was present or that this was taking place. She was focused on keeping E calm, maintaining stable blood pressure, and ensuring the delivery room was prepped and ready for B's arrival. As you can tell, Heidi has been present for 5 very special events that have shaped our family. Her commitment to the care of her patients is the reason T, E, and A are alive today. Her level of compassion has been displayed during each labor by being committed to E's pain management and trying to keep her as comfortable as possible. This extends from physical pain to the emotional well-being of her patients. Being the friendly face, the pillar of emotional support, and guiding light like an angel in the darkness. These are all ways that Heidi has gone above and beyond to provide excellent holistic care in the hospital. In our eyes, Heidi is a role model for not only other nurses but also members of society. She truly cares about every person in society. She is a credit to the nursing profession, a shining star among a galaxy, and the calm in the storm of chaos. For all the reasons we have stated, the care we have encountered, and the compassion we have been shown, we take great pleasure in submitting Heidi Ripp for the DAISY Award. She embodies all of the qualities of an excellent nurse with an emphasis on holistic care and compassion.
In January of 2014, E went into labor with A. T was by E's side and recognized a familiar face in the room from 22 years prior. T looked at Heidi and struck up a conversation. As the conversation progressed, T began to share specific details about her labor with E, and Heidi remembered E's birth as if it had taken place the day before. Once again, complications arose during this labor and delivery. The physician, at one point, got overly firm with E and told her to "Shut up and listen to me!". As you can imagine, that added an immense amount of stress to the situation. Once A had arrived, the seriousness of the problem became evident when she had to be revived twice shortly after birth and was swept from the labor room to the nursery for critical care. As you can imagine, being a brand-new mother, looking up and seeing your room filled to the brim with doctors and nurses, and having your newlyborn child swept out of the room without even touching them or holding them or saying welcome to the world can be a traumatic and emotional event. As these events transpired, Heidi stayed by E's side, comforting her and explaining to E what was taking place. E, being emotionally fragile in this situation, felt immense comfort and as much relief as possible in that situation because of Heidi's compassion while caring for E postpartum.
Over the next few hours, E wanted to see A for the first time, and Heidi was right there with her. Every step of the way, helping E both physically and emotionally through the process. She stood by E while in the nursery and helped E maneuver so that she could hold A for the first time while she was connected to numerous monitors. The first contact between a mother and child is one that is so powerful; facing challenges, Heidi was able to make that possible for E and A.
In April 2015, E welcomed T into the world, and Heidi was once again E's Labor Nurse. This labor and delivery was pretty routine, and no complications arose. Heidi provided the same level of care and showed the same amount of compassion to E. Nearly seven years later, in February 2022, E went into labor with R. When we arrived at the hospital, we made our way to the labor room. This labor progressed very rapidly, and about an hour before R was born, Heidi arrived after being called into work early.
When she walked into the room, she did a double take between E lying in the bed and the chart. Her first words to E were not an introduction but an exclamation: 'You have a different last name!' During Heidi's first assessment of E, she noticed that the epidural was not appropriately managing her pain. Not wanting E to be in pain, she stepped out of the room and tracked down the anesthesiologist, who was still on the floor and asked him to take another look because of the amount of pain she was experiencing. This delivery occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic when strict visitor restrictions were in place.
While E was pushing, Heidi was right there next to her once again, cheering her on and filling the void left by T's absence from the hospital. When E and R were discharged, Heidi saw the call light come on and raced J to our room, beating her. This was an accurate display of the compassion, care, and follow-through that Heidi lives her life with. Our family's latest addition occurred in November 2024. E was admitted during the evening the day before she was scheduled to be induced. In the morning, Heidi arrived at work to be in charge that day, but once she realized E had been admitted and was due to start the induction process, she was able to switch so that she could be there for E for the fifth time. This pregnancy had gone from simple and easy to stressful in the final weeks of pregnancy. E had been experiencing Pregnancy Hypertension, and this was also E's first time being induced, and she was very anxious about the process. Heidi was the calm that E needed. You could see E's pulse and blood pressure decrease the second Heidi walked into the room.
As labor progressed, Heidi was constantly vigilant of E's pain management, labor progression, and mental well-being. Heidi could look at E and could tell if she was attempting to hide her pain or discomfort. She was able to know that the epidural was once again not working appropriately and ended up calling the anesthesiologist three different times to try and find E comfort and ease her pain. When it came time to push, the epidural was not functional at all, and E felt every bit of this labor. Unknown to us until after delivery, the procedure room was being prepared for an emergency c-section for E to deliver B due to E's level of pain and B not dropping.
Heidi never raised the concern that was present or that this was taking place. She was focused on keeping E calm, maintaining stable blood pressure, and ensuring the delivery room was prepped and ready for B's arrival. As you can tell, Heidi has been present for 5 very special events that have shaped our family. Her commitment to the care of her patients is the reason T, E, and A are alive today. Her level of compassion has been displayed during each labor by being committed to E's pain management and trying to keep her as comfortable as possible. This extends from physical pain to the emotional well-being of her patients. Being the friendly face, the pillar of emotional support, and guiding light like an angel in the darkness. These are all ways that Heidi has gone above and beyond to provide excellent holistic care in the hospital. In our eyes, Heidi is a role model for not only other nurses but also members of society. She truly cares about every person in society. She is a credit to the nursing profession, a shining star among a galaxy, and the calm in the storm of chaos. For all the reasons we have stated, the care we have encountered, and the compassion we have been shown, we take great pleasure in submitting Heidi Ripp for the DAISY Award. She embodies all of the qualities of an excellent nurse with an emphasis on holistic care and compassion.