Humanity in Healthcare

Ortho-surgical team

From left to right:
Back Row: Carol Wright, Keren Owusu, Amanda Pouch, Zac Jones, Ivetter Werner, Priscilla McKay and Brooke Johnson 
Front Row: Alexis Hernandez, Voncell Woods, Katie Oliver, and Kris Cotterman

Shelley Miller has been a nurse for 43 years -- 33 of them serving patients at Lutheran Medical Center, and more than two decades dedicated to hospice care.  

When Shelley found herself needing significant care, including an emergency surgery resulting in a two-week hospital stay, she was grateful to be cared for by her trusted colleagues and friends at Lutheran.  

After her recovery, Shelley felt inspired to honor many caregivers through the Lutheran Foundation's Circle of Care program. She included heartfelt remarks with her donations and shared her appreciation for the orthopedic surgical team, expressing that each one "made an effort to connect with [her] on a personal level."  

Shelley enjoyed learning about her caregivers’ lives - their joys, aspirations, and dreams, and also that they took the time to learn about her in return. She believes this authentic human connection builds trust and helps patients like herself feel heard, valued, and understood, which leads to an "exchange of positive and healing energy."  

To Shelley and many others cared for within these walls, the authentic connections are no less powerful than the medical interventions in a patient's plan of care. Quality healthcare is about much more than treating the ailment. It is about treating the whole person.  

Lutheran caregivers go above and beyond to offer holistic healing by genuinely connecting with patients. After all, healthcare is human care. Thank you to the ortho-surgical team that added extra humanity to one of our own in their time of need.