Three Advocate Health nurses departed with the team this evening for an all-expenses-paid trip in recognition of health care workers’ selfless dedication during the pandemic.
Advocate Health and the Chicago Cubs will recognize health care workers worldwide this weekend during the upcoming MLB World Tour: London Series 2023 presented by Capital One. As a symbol of gratitude and appreciation for health care workers, Advocate Health will be the jersey patch on the Cubs uniforms during their June 24-25 matchups against the St. Louis Cardinals at London Stadium, paying tribute to the unwavering commitment of health care professionals who served skillfully and compassionately throughout the global pandemic.
To further highlight their contributions, Advocate Health and the Cubs have invited three nurses – including two from Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn – to attend the London Series and exclusive Cubs events. Each played a vital role in caring for critically ill patients throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.
“At a time when baseball and much of the world hit pause – health care workers across the globe ran selflessly towards the fire – offering hope and healing to patients, their families and our communities,” said Kelly Jo Golson, chief brand, communications and consumer experience officer for Advocate Health.
The London event was originally scheduled in 2020 but was delayed three years due to the pandemic.
Representing all the courageous health care workers deserving of gratitude, the nurses attending include:
Lauren De La Torre, RN, Data Analyst and Senior Clinical Specialist, Advocate Christ Medical Center, Oak Lawn, Ill.:
· Lauren, an Orland Park native now living in Chicago, has been with Advocate since 2006.
· She described being selected for this experience as “overwhelming, humbling and an amazing privilege” to represent all the nurses she works with.
· Lauren has been called the “heart and soul” of her unit, mentoring new nurses and caring for some of the most critically ill patients during her time.
· When the pandemic began, Lauren’s unit started caring for critical COVID-19 patients, using an innovative heart and lung bypass treatment known as Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO), which successfully helped patients who have not responded to other traditional forms of treatment.
· Lauren is a third-generation nurse in her family – her grandma, mother, sister and two aunts were also nurses.
· Away from nursing, Lauren enjoys open water swimming, specifically in Lake Michigan where she swims often. Lauren says that swimming helps her manage stress and navigate life – specifically helpful during the pandemic.
Jill Trumpey, RN, Critical Care: Adult Surgical Heart Unit, Advocate Christ Medical Center, Oak Lawn, Ill.:
· Jill is a Tinley Park native who spent many nights and consecutive hours alongside Lauren during the pandemic. She graduated nursing school in 2016 and has been with Advocate since 2018.
· Most notably during the pandemic, Jill and Lauren’s actions and level of caring helped inspire a 16-year-old patient of theirs who was critically ill from COVID to pursue a nursing career. Members of her care team called it a miracle that she even survived due to the severity of her condition. A year and a half later, the patient returned to Christ Medical Center to thank her care team and to let them know that she decided to pursue nursing with Jill and Lauren serving as her inspiration. The patient spent so much time in the hospital and away from family, Jill and Lauren were her only connection to humanity and life outside of the hospital that led to their bond.
· Jill’s mother was a home health nurse growing up, and when she would come home and talk about her day and caring for people with Jill, it really inspired her to follow in her footsteps and could not imagine doing anything else.
· Although Jill never played baseball or softball on a team, she grew up with four older brothers that did and has always loved being around the game and the atmosphere.
· Jill’s grandfather was a watercolor artist and loved to paint the Cubs pitchers.
Suzanne Taylor, RN, Clinical Supervisor, Emergency Department at Atrium Health Pineville, Charlotte, N.C.:
· Suzanne has been a nurse for 36 years and has been with Atrium Health for 27 years. She feels “honored to be chosen” for such a recognition and is excited about the “experience of a lifetime”. She currently works at SouthPark in Charlotte, which is a free-standing Emergency department. Suzanne was an RN during COVID who has since moved up to a clinical supervisor role. She is a certified emergency room nurse and has been a clinical supervisor in the ED for over 15 years.
· During COVID Suzanne organized and was the point person for a drive through testing site for Atrium teammates at the department. She helped improve the code stroke process so that patients received their CT for possible strokes in less than 20 minutes. She also is currently leading a pilot program where a virtual nurse assists the ED nurses to improve the care of patients boarding in the ED waiting on an inpatient bed.
· Suzanne was recently working with a patient with chest pain and quickly brought the patient back to a room and performed an EKG. Although the EKG was normal and didn’t show any signs of a heart attack, Suzanne knew something wasn’t right. She took the EKG to the physician and told him that she needed him to see the patient immediately, despite what appeared to be a normal EKG. The physician immediately dropped what he was doing and as they were walking towards the room the patient’s wife screamed because her husband had just gone into cardiac arrest. Suzanne and the team quickly defibrillated the patient and were able to get his heart rate back to normal. They quickly transferred the patient to the catheterization lab and opened the blockages in his heart. The patient and his family came back a few weeks later to thank Suzanne and the team for saving his life. Because of Suzanne’s quick response and her leadership this patient has a full life ahead of him.
· In August of 2021, Suzanne’s husband was hospitalized with COVID for 25 days and had no in-person contact with him for the duration of his stay. She says that experience opened her eyes and helped her view the pandemic from another perspective and made her more compassionate towards others for others on how it feels to be separated from loved ones, especially those critically ill.
· Suzanne’s grandmother was a Cubs fan and from Mooseheart, Ill., and every summer when her family came to visit that they would take in a Cubs game or two.
These dedicated individuals will be celebrated as they travel to London to witness this historic game. In honoring them, the organizations intend to demonstrate their collective appreciation for all health care workers. Their recognition serves as a reminder of the significant contributions and immense value nurses bring to the well-being of the individuals and communities they serve.
About Advocate Health
Advocate Health is the fifth-largest nonprofit, integrated health system in the United States, created from the combination of Advocate Aurora Health and Atrium Health. Providing care under the names Advocate Health Care in Illinois; Atrium Health in the Carolinas, Georgia and Alabama; and Aurora Health Care in Wisconsin, Advocate Health is a national leader in clinical innovation, health outcomes, consumer experience and value-based care. Headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, Advocate Health services nearly 6 million patients and is engaged in hundreds of clinical trials and research studies, with Wake Forest University School of Medicine serving as the academic core of the enterprise. It is nationally recognized for its expertise in cardiology, neurosciences, oncology, pediatrics and rehabilitation, as well as organ transplants, burn treatments and specialized musculoskeletal programs. Advocate Health employs nearly 150,000 team members across 67 hospitals and over 1,000 care locations, and offers one of the nation’s largest graduate medical education programs with over 2,000 residents and fellows across more than 200 programs.
