Alice Hyde's Radiology Team Thinks Outside-the-Box to Put Patient First

The radiology team at Alice Hyde cares for patients across a wide spectrum — from those with broken bones to individuals wrestling with the possibility of a cancer diagnosis. When the team sees a patient struggling with the anxiety that often comes with the cancer screening process, they pull together to     ensure the patient’s every need is met — no matter what it takes.

That goal is what drove several members of the team — Robin Bresette, BS; Ellen Miller, RN; and Erica  Rivera, BS, RDCS, RDMS, RVT — to come up with an outside-the-box response to a patient struggling with high levels of anxiety as she underwent follow-up screenings for breast cancer.

Because imaging work for breast cancer screenings is highly specialized, Alice Hyde and CVPH in Plattsburgh take a team approach to ensure patients have access to the care they need. As the patient prepared to travel from Alice Hyde to CVPH’s  Imaging Center , she told the team she wasn’t sure how to get where she needed to go.

Erica, a sonographer on Alice Hyde’s Radiology team for more than a decade, said it was apparent that the patient was struggling.

“She was just beside herself — very anxious; and she wanted to get through the process,” said     Erica.

Ellen, an RN in Alice Hyde Radiology since 2003, said the team knew they had to come up with an   extraordinary solution that would ensure the patient was able to receive the care she needed without having to reschedule her appointment. That’s when  Robin stepped up and offered to guide the patient to the Imaging Center in Plattsburgh. She said hopping in her vehicle and leading the patient to Plattsburgh was an easy decision to make.

“The only thing that was determining whether she was going to go out there was the stress of not knowing where to go,” said Robin. “We wanted to take as much stress off of her as possible.”

Ellen said the team knew they had hit on the right solution just by seeing the patient’s reaction as Robin offered to drive to Plattsburgh with her.

“Her anxiety went from up here, to calm,” said Ellen. It worked out really well. If the patients’ happy, we’re happy.”