When You Receive Great Care, You Tell Someone
Every day, the Beebe Medical Foundation receives emails and letters from grateful patients and families who are reaching out to recognize and thank our doctors, nurses and team members for what they do best: provide excellent care. Sharing stories, expressing gratitude, and coming back to say thank you when feeling much better can be a very special part of a patient’s healing journey. For John Taylor, it was also very important to let Beebe’s leadership know of his experience with an exemplary nurse, Chris Henion, RN.
“When I arrived on the fifth floor,” John said, “the clouds parted and the sun started to shine when Chris Henion came on duty. Chris is a very competent RN. He has a way about himself when he talks with you. Chris made me very comfortable, right from the start.
“Chris’s constant, genuine care made such a strong impression. He did more than just come in to change the IV and hand me my medicine. Chris built a nurse-to-patient connection with me. Through our conversations, he made me think about a lot of little things that could help to improve my health. That’s a real talent and a gift.
“Sometimes your encounters with your nursing care team can be brief. Chris would come into my room and say, ‘Mr. Taylor, I’m going on break in a few minutes. Is there anything I can do for you before I go on my break?’ I remember thinking, he doesn’t need to tell me that he’s going on break. That’s really cool, that he’s checking on me before he goes. He really cares about me.
“I describe Chris as ‘a silent hammer’ – and that’s my ultimate compliment. We live in a look-at-me world, but he isn’t that kind of guy. Very professionally, Chris goes about his business, doing everything the right way, at the right time, for the right reasons, and there is no need for anyone to be looking or checking to follow up.
“The best leaders really care about their people. They get to know individuals and keep teams together by genuinely caring for each of the members. Chris is a guy that I could easily see in leadership. As Chris spent time with me, I learned about him and the patient care team he was a part of – my patient care team. It’s nice to know that Beebe has so many employees who have the best interests of all of their patients at the very center of their hearts.
“These days, in a world of dwindling customer service and customer care, when you find a superstar, you need to let someone know. I really want the leadership of Beebe Healthcare to know, from this patient’s eyes, Chris is a superstar. Thank you, Chris, for your sterling care and friendship during my recent stay!”
Gratitude and giving often go hand in hand, and John’s gratitude inspired him to make a wonderful gift through the Beebe Medical Foundation’s Celebrate Excellent Care program to honor Chris Henion. John directed his gift to support Cardiac Care at Beebe Healthcare. His story illustrates the Five Reasons Patients Have Gratitude for Their Caregivers, all of which Chris demonstrated in an exemplary way:
- The quality of the patient-caregiver relationship.
- How well patients felt their caregivers communicated with them.
- How much respect and fairness patients felt they received.
- The involvement of the patient in setting treatment goals.
- The frequency of patient-caregiver communications.
As a community-based, not-for-profit healthcare system, Beebe Healthcare depends on the generous support of individuals, corporations, businesses, and private foundations. All gifts to Beebe Healthcare, large or small, are tax-deductible and are channeled through Beebe Medical Foundation. Please consider making a gift today and share your amazing stories with our community. To learn more about Celebrate Excellent Care, contact the Beebe Medical Foundation at (302) 644-2900 or email [email protected].
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