The Power of One
Several Years ago the US Army had an ad campaign that promoted the idea of each individual who joined the armed service could be an “Army of One”. The meaning I took from this advertisement was that by joining the army and by the time the training and service were complete, an individual could be as strong as an army, even standing alone. The possibilities of a person were endless in what they could accomplish with that service experience instilled within. There are many cases where a person who stands alone can make a difference in the life of another and it doesn’t always involve standing as an army alone (though sometimes it helps). Sometimes it is one person’s observations of a need and then having the courage to advocate for the resources to meet that need.
This past week I had the opportunity to sit and talk at length with one of our area health care contributors, Janie Manning, who is the discharge planner at Rush Memorial Hospital in Rushville, Indiana. A kind and gentle woman who has worked at Rush Memorial for several years, Janie has a deep passion for the patients she serves and the families she helps. As discharge planner, Janie helps patients and the family of patients sort through and navigate the colossal and copious amounts of paperwork involved with hospital care and the care needed following a stay in the hospital. On occasion, the patient has no family to depend upon and sometimes the patient has no prospect of surviving a terminal illness…the question then becomes, “Now what?”
Janie had such a patient not too long ago. This particular patient needed hospice care to help with his end of life needs, but with no family in the area and the medical needs that the hospital was giving, the only option at the time was a long term care facility that kept shuttling the patient back and forth with little rest. What was needed was an in hospital hospice center so the patient could be comfortable and rest easy and still receive the care he needed. At the time the closest hospital to provide such services was in Columbus, IN which is over an hour away from Rushville, the patient’s home. Moved by the suffering of one of her charges, Janie had the courage and foresight to bring the idea of an in hospital hospice unit to the hospital administration and to their credit, the administration bought into the idea and set the wheels in motion to fill the need. Last August (2015) Rush Memorial Hospital opened their in hospital hospice unit with the expectations of being able to serve one or two hospice patients per month with their end of life care needs.
Armed with the knowledge of the respectful and gentle care the patients are receiving in this unit at this time of life, the response has been far greater than expected. Rush Memorial Hospital is a small rural hospital that offers a stunning array of services and continues to expand their capabilities but the true power of this organization is represented by the people that work within its healing walls. Because of the courage of one woman who has a passion to help those in need, dozens upon dozens of patients and families have been helped (in a very short period) during a trying time for the families with the compassion and kindness because of the power of one.
As always, thanks for reading, pass this along and give someone the courage to speak up and be their own power of one and who knows what great thing will pop up from the ground that can benefit us all…remember, we’re all in this together.
Wm Reid
Best Home Care Services
325 N Eastern Ave
Connersville, IN 47331
765-827-9833
wmreid@bhcshealth.com