Two Blessing Hospital respiratory therapists were nominated for the department’s annual Respiratory Care Excellence award during the observance of National Respiratory Care Week 2020. The nominees were Jackie Priest and Desiree Singh. The nominations were judged by three members of administration. Jackie was selected as the 2020 winner, based on nominations submitted by her coworkers, which said in part:
“Jackie is hardworking, reliable and cares deeply about her patients. In particular, she had a COVID patient in CVU that had to be terminally extubated, and the family was not able to be at the bedside. After Jackie extubated the patient, she stayed in the room and held the patient’s hand until they passed. The family was standing outside the room, watching through the glass, and Jackie did not want to leave the patient’ side, knowing the family couldn’t be next to their loved one. Jackie is always going above and beyond to provide patients with the best care and make them feel comfortable during uncertain times.”
“Jackie is very accepting of change and helps others to see the positives in change when we may not like it or be open to it.”
“Jackie's amazing teamwork skills make her a great asset to not only our department but to the entire organization. She forms great relationships with physicians and coworkers and is trusted by so many.”
“As a Respiratory partnership council representative, Jackie makes suggestions and helps come up with solutions to try and make our work environment the best it can be in every aspect. She is constantly thinking of what we could do to better everything in order to provide excellent care and service to our customers.”