11/30/16  Portland, Ore.

This month, we had the privilege of celebrating all six (yes, six!) OHSU Rose Award recipients from our department. Rose Awards recognize efforts above and beyond the typical call of duty, and we are so proud of all of our team members who demonstrate what we've come to think of as our daily philosophy here at OHSU Family Medicine. Recipients and their nominations are below:

Myong O, LCSW

Nomination submitted by Rachael Postman, Family Medicine at Richmond

At Richmond, we care for patients who have suffered from a great deal of trauma. One of my primary care patients was in need of an important gynecological procedure, after having had a very abnormal pap smear more than a year before she came to our clinic. She had avoided this procedure due to her history of traumatic experiences, and it took months of gentle coaxing and planning before she finally made it to the appointment. Myong had been working with this patient for some time, and when the day came for her procedure, Myong cleared more than an hour of her schedule in order to sit with her during the procedure to provide support. Not only that, but she read aloud to her from a book about healthy eating, a subject that they had also been working on together! Social workers are frequently going above and beyond for our patients, and it's often just seen as a regular part of their job. This, however, was extraordinarily special and is deserving of a ROSE award.

Maggie Wells, MD

Nomination submitted by Erin Haworth, 4A Transplant/Urol/Plastics

A high-risk patient was admitted to our floor for a 72-hour study. Dr. Wells came to the floor to speak to me, check in and answer all my questions before the study began. Throughout this night the patient ended up with a two rapid responses, an unwitnessed fall and severe episodes of hypoglycemia. Dr. Wells went above and beyond – staying at the bedside, assisting anyway she could, even going to the cafeteria to get the patient some food. She was so kind and compassionate to staff, the patient and the patient's family. It was a scary and unpredictable situation for all involved. The patient also had issues with anxiety that were calmed with Dr. Wells' attentiveness. This allowed the patient to continue her study. I don't have enough room to write all of the ways Dr. Wells helped, nor to express all of the appreciation I have for her!

Erin Gallivan, RN; Elizabeth Steiner Hayward, MD; Aurora Terry; and Ali Booker

Nomination submitted by Lisa Ishmael, OHSU Family Medicine at Gabriel Park

Recently, I was able to observe what OHSU patient excellence is all about. A patient came in to Gabriel Park clinic for an early afternoon appointment with Dr. Steiner. The appointment was for a swollen leg and calf, which is something we see frequently. After the initial evaluation Dr. Steiner sensed this might be something more than the usual leg pain and went to Aurora Terry for additional assistance. Aurora, who is tenacious, quickly got on the phone and called the Vascular Lab to get the patient in for an urgent Vascular US. They were able to get the patient scheduled almost immediately, and off to the hill the patient went. We continued with our clinic when Dr. Steiner was notified that the patient had a massive DVT. Dr. Steiner quickly paged the Gabriel Park nurse team, who was by her side in just minutes. She let them know what was going on and they immediately set up a plan. I overheard Erin Gallivan, RN, say that one of the medications prescribed was harder to find at pharmacies so she would call around and find the medication so the patient wouldn't have to do so herself. The nurse team went to work getting their plan in place as we awaited the patient's return. When she arrived back in clinic later that afternoon, the nurse team went into action, getting the patient medications, instructions and everything else needed for her recovery. By 4:20 p.m., all was under control. Thanks to quick action and teamwork, the patient did not have to be admitted and, most importantly, her life was saved. For this I believe a Golden ROSE Award is deserved!