HCA Florida Healthcare nurses are lauded for going above and beyond
HCA Florida Healthcare recognizes the incredible work of its nurses who go above and beyond in regard to patient care.
Nashville, TN — As Floridians recognize the state’s more than 185,000 nursing professionals during National Nurses Week, May 6-12, HCA Florida Healthcare is calling attention to amazing stories of nurses who went above and beyond the call in the name of caring like family.
The state’s largest network of hospitals, HCA Florida Healthcare employs more than 30,000 nursing professionals at more than 650 sites of care.
Pensacola nurse helps young double amputee reach field of dreams
Sheila Gargano, pediatric nurse manager at Pensacola’s HCA Florida West Hospital, played an instrumental role in arranging for Pensacola’s Blue Wahoos minor league baseball team to visit the hospital’s pediatric patients. Players brought game jerseys for the children to help decorate to be worn in an upcoming game.
Gunnar Chester, a double amputee, was a patient in the hospital that day. Gunnar has experienced close to 20 surgeries, the last of which occurred at HCA Florida West Hospital. He was star struck as players offered him words of encouragement and a chance to have fun coloring the jerseys.
After the visit, Gunnar told Sheila he had never been to a real baseball game and could not believe the players came to visit him. As always, Sheila stepped up and worked with the Blue Wahoos to get Gunnar and his family tickets to an upcoming game. Sheila had another surprise in store. Prior to the game, she arranged for the team to meet Gunnar and surprise him with an autographed jersey, baseball bat and other Blue Wahoo souvenirs.
Now inspired with new prosthetic legs, Gunnar joined his family in visiting children at HCA Florida West Hospital this past Christmas to deliver gifts and messages of hope.
Jacksonville nurse inspires son, sisters to become nurses
When Maria Montemayor became an RN at HCA Florida Memorial Hospital in Jacksonville, she never dreamed several of her family members would follow in her footsteps.
Today, her son John Galura works as an RN in the same hospital. Maria also inspired her three sisters to become nurses: Roselle Helmke is a Critical Care Unit charge nurse in Birmingham, Alabama; Cristina Cole is a cardiovascular RN also in Birmingham; and Nerissa Batongbacal is a Licensed Practical Nurse at HCA Healthcare Tomball Hospital in Houston, Texas.
Palm Beach County nurse gives up dinner date to care for patient
Nurses like Stephanie Taylor of HCA Florida JFK Hospital understand the profession requires sacrifices in the name of care. That was certainly the case when Stephanie called her husband to cancel their long-anticipated dinner plans in order to care for a patient, 42-year-old Andy Taylor, who was placed on respiratory support in the hospital’s cardiovascular intensive care unit following a sudden heart attack.
“My patient is unstable,” Andy Taylor’s wife Heather overhead Stephanie telling her husband. “I want to stay late and help out.”
Mr. Taylor remained hospitalized for 23 days and Stephanie was by his side for most of it. After he was discharged, Stephanie unexpectedly received a gift card in the mail with a note. It read, “Thank you for giving up your date night to ensure I would have future ones. You will forever be in my thoughts and prayers and have a special place in my heart. Please plan another date on us.”
But the story doesn’t end there. Heather, so inspired by the care Stephanie provided to her husband, decided at 41 years old to pursue a career in nursing.
Throughout her journey, Stephanie has been Heather’s mentor. Ironically, Heather performed her preceptorship at HCA Florida JFK Hospital alongside Stephanie in the same cardiovascular intensive care unit where her husband was treated.
Heather says, “I want to be another family’s, Stephanie Perry.”
Tampa nurse in the right place at the right time
Nurses never know when they’ll be called upon to spring into action. For Michelle Nutting, RN of HCA Florida South Tampa Hospital, that moment happened while she and her twin sister were participating in the annual SKYWAY 10K in St. Petersburg this past March.“
“During the race, another runner collapsed and passed out in front of my sister and I,” Michelle recalls. “We immediately rushed over to help him by checking his pulse and respirations. He was breathing on his own and said he had no chest pain or shortness of breath. I took the next step to cool him down and place cold water on key areas until EMS was contacted.”
Michelle was able to contact the man’s sister who was also participating in the race, and ran to the finish line to find her. In spite of the large crowd present at the finish line, Michelle located his sister and was able to reunite her with her brother.