An intensive care unit nurse whose care and concern helped a family deal with difficult times is being honored as Jacksonville Memorial Hospital’s Colleague of the Month for April.
The spouse of a patient nominated Kayla Knox, an ICU inpatient nurse, for combining compassion with clinical skill.
“Kayla would talk about her two Huskies and keep (her patient) interested in smiling, enjoying animal stories,” and taking time to brighten the patient’s days, according to the nomination.
Knox put two small stuffed animals in the arms of the patient when he was placed in comfort care — treatment focused on enhancing quality of life and relieving suffering near the end of a person’s life. When the family collected the man’s ashes weeks later, the stuffed animals were inside the box, too.
While the person making the nomination was appreciative of everyone in the intensive care unit, she said Knox was “essential in helping her and her husband through a rough time.”
Knox has worked at Jacksonville Memorial Hospital since 2012.