Nurses know they can always count on PPMC social worker Larry Wisdom to come to a patient’s bedside or answer a question, even if it’s past his work hours. One evening, Ngan Hoang, RN, had a patient who was discharged but had no clothes to wear home; their clothes had been torn on their way to the hospital and they had no family to ask for spare clothes. When Hoang couldn’t find any, she knew who to call, even though the patient wasn’t one of Wisdom’s.
It turned out Wisdom had left for the day and was about 30 minutes away, but he told Hoang without hesitation that he’d return to provide the patient with a pair of sweats from the Case Management Office.
“My passion is supporting people,” Wisdom said. “I knew Ngan had other patients, so why not just drive back, take care of the patient, and put the finishing touches on her case?”
Wisdom was one of 10 PPMC employees recognized in this year’s Patient Advocacy Awards.
“I was absolutely amazed at his compassion and selflessness and the ability to continue to show up in his role every day and even beyond his work day,” Hoang said. “He deserves to be recognized for his outstanding work ethic and teamwork.”