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In This Issue:
Patient/Family Relations
When Adis Benitez leaves her desk each night, she remembers the name of one patient in critical condition that day.
“I pray for that patient that night,” said Benitez, who has done this since her very first day on the job in Patient/Family Relations two years ago.
That’s dedication. Benitez is steadfast in helping about 25 to 30 of the many patients and families who come to Patient/Family Relations each day. Some come bearing compliments about their experience; many come with complaints. Patient/Family Relations is usually the first point of contact for any patient or family member with a complaint about lost belongings, mix up of appointment times, care concerns and other issues.
“I try to get information to the patient as fast as I can,” Benitez said. “When a patient is upset, we serve as the middle ground and solve the problem ourselves if we can or put the patient in touch with a patient representative who will help.”
Benitez’s calm manner, kind words and fluency in Spanish put patients and families at ease immediately.
“Adis is one of the kindest and gentlest people I know,” Kathleen Gordon, director of Patient/Family Relations, said. “She has a consistently soft approach no matter how upset someone is as she tries to understand their perspective. We count on her bilingual ability daily to reach out to our Latino patients and families at a time when they need help to allay their fears.”
Helping patients is rewarding, said Benitez. “The best part is when you make them feel good because you’ve told them you will help,” she said. “You see this big smile on their faces when you come through for them.”