Rubens Fontilus, certified nursing assistant (CNA) on patient care area 5 East, has been selected as TidalHealth Peninsula Regional's March 2024 Sunshine Award recipient for his professionalism, kindness and compassion shown to a patient who was having a difficult time understanding their care.
A fellow healthcare provider on the unit submitted Fontilus’ nomination.
We have an older patient on 5 East who doesn’t speak English, doesn’t have her family visit often and is left feeling lonely. At times, this manifests into a feistiness where she refuses care and her medications.
We attempted to communication through a language line service, but the patient became agitated with the interpreter and refused to speak with them.
Knowing that Rubens speaks Haitian Creole, I asked him if he would please talk with her to see what we could do to make her more comfortable. She immediately lit up and you could see the twinkle in her eyes when Rubens said, “Bonjour, Mom Mom.”
Following a quick hug, the two engaged in a lengthy conversation with Rubens providing her all the time she needed to fully express what was troubling her. After their talk, the patient became much more agreeable to allowing me to assess her care and administer her medications.
Rubens’ display of understanding and compassion for this patient truly warmed my heart.
Fontilus was honored in a ceremony before his coworkers and presented with fresh flowers, a pin and a certificate recognizing his exceptional devotion to team and patient care.
