South Georgia Medical Center recognized Kaelem De Los Rios as the Health System Hero at the September Board of Trustees meeting.
De Los Rios works in the emergency department at main campus and was honored for her display of empathy during extremely challenging circumstances. According to SGMC’s Director of Chaplain Services Brain Sayre, “Kaelem consistently seeks out family members after difficult patient events and treats all of her patients with great care and compassion.”
An example was shared where two parents experienced the loss of their adolescent child. The story described how Kaelem sought out the mother to look her in the eye and embrace her in her grief, and then stayed after her shift to meet the father, sitting on the floor with him for an extended period of time as he wept.
“Kaelem exemplifies what it means to show love and compassion in the midst of suffering. She did not leave this situation until there were no more tears to shed and the raw emotions had settled. She never lost her professionalism and was entirely appropriate in her actions with this family. May she never lose her ability to empathize with those who are hurting,” he said.
She received a standing ovation from those in attendance.
SGMC participates in an array of recognition programs to honor employees who most exemplify the tagline, “Remarkable People, Extraordinary Care, Human Kindness.” To learn more, visit sgmc.org/recognition-programs.