I wanted to express my special thanks to a nurse who was especially important to me in my stay at Encompass Rehabilitation Hospital in Modesto. I am so grateful for the knowledge, professionalism, and actual caring abilities of Julie Powers. I arrived at the rehab center directly after my knee operation. Amazingly, I had never been in a hospital before, never had any injury of significance, and honestly, I was so very frightened. Julie read my fears and my needs in a manner that I've never experienced before. She took exceptional care of me while also dealing with all her other patients.

Julie greeted me on my first morning with my medications. She inquired about various aspects of my comfort level, my worries, everything. She quickly made me feel at ease. During my stay at Encompass, Julie checked on me with such routine that I felt I wasn't alone. I felt reassured that I would come through this without as much anxiety and worry as when I entered. Julie always tried to explain what she was doing very carefully and in a detailed manner. I am an educator by trade and especially appreciate this. She answered my questions when I had them, and if not, found someone who could. Julie took care of my pain. She helped me learn to run my ice machine, which I brought with me.

In general, Julie not only took care of me but also helped me learn how to help myself. She made sure I learned how to best care for myself in my home, living alone. In the process of this, she was also a very kind, caring person who made me feel like I was part of a little family there. This was exceedingly special to me. She even tried telling me funny stories about things that had happened in her life that were kind of crazy, and that was endearing. By the time I left the Encompass facility, I felt like I was family. I was there to use the equipment in the gym facility and to get stronger. I felt the various people there certainly helped me do that in every way, both physically and mentally. I am grateful. I felt I was taken care of in an amazing manner by the heart and the professional approach that Julie shared with me from beginning to end.

I am a retired teacher and administrator with almost 40 years combined. As an administrator, if I had a whole staff full of Julies, I feel that great things would have been achieved beyond what was already happening. I felt she had an uncanny ability to read a situation and pull various details together and come up with the right path of solution to any concerns that would arise. That is a great attribute to have, especially in a nursing facility. God blessed me with the much-needed, excellent support of Julie Powers.