The philosophy that is standard daily is open doors.
Mary, RN Supervisor
came to BRC in 2005, hired as the first Registered Nurse through the SAMHSA grant as a temporary position.
Today, she is the head nurse at BRC's Chemical Dependency Crisis Center (CDCC), and in April 2017 won New York Nonprofit Media's Frontline Hero Award (full story below).
WHEN YOU JOINED BRC, WHAT WERE YOU HOPING YOUR EXPERIENCE WOULD BE LIKE? HAS IT BEEN LIKE THAT?
I was hoping my experience would be non-traditional with the reliance on more individualized skills and with a creative nursing approach during intervention, and it has been this and more!
WHAT WAS THE MOST MEMORABLE THING ABOUT YOUR FIRST DAY WITH BRC?
The patients were warm, inviting, well-related and were appreciative of the care and interest received.
IF YOU WERE TO GIVE BRC AN AWARD — ANY AWARD YOU COULD IMAGINE — WHAT AWARD WOULD YOU GIVE?
I would give BRC an award for the philosophy that is standard daily which is open doors with minimal barriers for admission. Many patients have lost their medications; have no insurance, documentation or understanding of their medical history. I feel that we have limited barriers and attempt to reconnect the patient to appropriate services, medications, and obtain documentation from previous hospital records so when discharged they have lesser deficits and barriers then they did on admission.
IF YOU WERE TO RECRUIT A FRIEND OR COLLEAGUE TO BRC, WHAT REASON WOULD YOU GIVE FOR WHY THEY SHOULD JOIN?
I have referred a new graduate RN, who has been working at CDCC for about one and a half years. I told her that she would gain a wealth of skills in problem solving.