Looking for support following a stroke? The North Idaho Stroke Support Group helps caregivers and survivors. Meetings are held every Thursday at 10:30 a.m. at the Rehabilitation Hospital of the Northwest. For information, call (208) 262-8700. Stroke Super Star One Kootenai Health patient’s outcome would likely have been much different were it not for the intervention of a very special member of the Kootenai Health care team. Jeanet Cole Porte, a member of the environmental services housekeeping team, was in a patient’s room when she noticed something wasn’t right. “I heard her soft little voice say, ‘I’m cold,’ so I pulled the blankets up around her. Then I went to tell the nurses,” Jeanet said. “I knew she needed help, and I wanted to offer her that help.” “Members of our housekeeping team spend a lot of time with patients as they clean their rooms,” said Harmony Reilly, manager of housekeeping at Kootenai Health. “They see people in the hospital day after day and often build really special relationships with them. They care about our patients just like our clinical staff members do.” That evening after she went home, Jeanet couldn’t stop thinking about that patient. As she put it, “That soft voice just kept ringing in my ear.” It was only after returning to work that Jeanet learned about the difference her intervention made. She was proud to receive the Stroke Super Star award for stroke intervention—an award that until now has only been received by clinical staff members. Jeanet wears her Stroke Super Star award proudly next to her Kootenai Health name badge throughout her workday, cleaning rooms and caring for patients. Jeanet Cole Porte is a contracted employee through ACI Federal. Know the signs of stroke KH . ORG 7
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