Cancer Care Nurse's Advocacy for Patient Inspires Colleagues

Caring for cancer patients and survivors is a responsibility members of Alice Hyde’s Reddy Cancer Center are proud to shoulder each day, and being a tireless advocate for patients — especially when the RCC team are the only resources and support a patient has — is something in which registered nurse Kimberly Bouvier-Barnes takes special pride.

That pride and dedication was on display earlier this spring, when Bouvier-Barnes went above and beyond to connect a patient with specialized, life-saving therapy that otherwise wouldn’t have been available because of their living situation. Kim’s dedication to patients was honored Tuesday, as she became Alice Hyde’s 4^th DAISY Award recipient.

“It seemed as though this patient’s situation was hopeless,” said Becca Shutts, MSN, MBA, RN, Alice Hyde’s Chief Nursing Officer and Vice President of Practice Operations. “But Kim just wouldn’t accept that.”

Shutts said that Kim first shared the patient’s situation with her in April, when it became clear that their at-home support system had seen significant changes that would threaten their ability to receive the specialized medical care that had, in the past, been successful at treating a specific type of cancer. The specialized therapy regimen requires two weeks of 24-hour care following the treatment. In the past, the patient’s friends had been able to provide that care at home — but their own families’ medical needs had required they move out-of-state, and the patient’s family members, who also live out-of-state, were not able to assist either.

Nevertheless, Kim persisted – making countless phone calls over the course of several weeks as she explored different possibilities that could get the patient the care they needed post-therapy.

Finally, in late April Kim’s perseverance paid off and she was able to get the patient admitted to an inpatient care setting, so they could receive the life-saving therapy that had in the past been so effective at treating their cancer.

“Kim simply wouldn’t take ‘no’ for an answer – no matter how much resistance or how many roadblocks she encountered,” said Shutts. “Her relentless advocacy was amazing to watch, and that’s why I nominated her for this award.”