Nomination Letter

Written by Chelsie Brandl, Branch Manager, BrightStar Care West Bend

To say Jamie makes a difference in the lives of our clients is an understatement. She not only is a wonderful and competent nurse, she also has an exceptional ability to connect with people on a personal level. Her expertise and compassion are evident after even one conversation with her. There are several instances that I could illustrate to you that convey this, however I will pick only three.
 
First off, we had a client, we will call her "Jenny," that did not have much time left in this world. Jamie knew that Jenny wanted to have one last camping trip. Jamie, an avid camper herself, jumped through hoops and orchestrated for this women to have her dying wish. Jamie went so far as going out to the campsite of the client and administering her medications over the weekend. Had Jamie not been in this Jenny's life, her last camping trip would have never come to fruition. Jenny and her family expressed their gratitude greatly. The camping trip was the last time Jenny was ever outside, as she was confined to her home until her passing. She was able to breathe the fresh air and look at the starry night sky one last time.
 
Secondly, our branch has worked with a particular family for several years. When Jamie took over the role of Director of Nursing (DON), she immediately earned the family's trust. At a time when their father's care was being transitioned to a new DON, she reassured the family and won them over after the first meeting. After some time, the client's health declined. There were several "touch and go" moments and hospitalizations, Jamie trusted her gut and told the family to contact the rest of the siblings and have them fly in as soon as possible. The family listened to her and it is a good thing they did so. Within hours of all the siblings being flown in, their father passed away. The family has expressed eternal gratitude to Jamie for advising them to do so. Those last precious moments with their father were possible because of Jamie.

The last story I will share with you always puts a smile on my face. We had a client who was actively passing. We only had this client for a total of six weeks or so. Jamie stayed with the family at the hospital until her passing at 3am. The family was distraught. The daughter wanted desperately to stay at the hospital with her newly widowed father until everything was sorted out. However she was not able to because she had a puppy at home to attend to. Jamie, being the dog lover she is, offered to take the pup and care for him overnight and until the daughter was able to catch up on her sleep the next day. So Jamie comes home to her husband, in the middle of the night, with a strange dog. It is a good thing that her husband is a dog lover as well! She made sure to send updates to the dog's owner so she was reassured he was in good hands. If that is not going above and beyond to help our clients and their families then I don't know what is!
 
Jamie has been such a valuable addition to our team. She leads by example. And what a wonderful example she is to our field staff! She is professional, compassionate, and inspires others to put their best foot forward. All of our field staff (and office staff) just love working with her. Providing a higher standard of care is just second nature to her.

Media Coverage

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