This year has been tough for everyone, but imagine working in the hospital and watching patients pass away without the comfort of their loved ones by their side.  As a physician, Jerry Beinhauer MD, Founder & CEO of Simply Smart Health, had to face the harsh realities of caring for very sick patients in the hospital during the pandemic, and watching them die alone.  He was ultimately able to convince the hospital to institute a change to fix this.

Dr. Jerry had a 91-year-old patient with a non-COVID acute illness, who was admitted to the hospital and eventually needed Hospice. The patient’s wife of 70 years was not able to be at her husband’s side for the last few moments of his life, due to the hospital’s strict no visitor policy.

Dr. Jerry was heartbroken that the patient’s wife did not have the opportunity to be there in-person with her husband, they had rarely been apart and were high school sweet-hearts.  Dr. Jerry decided to set up ongoing FaceTime calls, with the help of the hospital nurses, to enabled the patient’s wife to talk to her husband and tell him how much she loved him, even though he could no longer respond to her.

After this experience, Dr. Jerry decided that this approach should be available for any patient in the hospital that was placed on Hospice, so family members could interact with their loved ones before and while they were passing away.  Although this was better than not being there at all, Dr. Jerry still was not satisfied.

While it took continuous pleading with hospital administration, the hospital finally agreed to change the policy, and permited one visitor to come in and be with their loved one during their final hours.

In a time of crisis, this honorable move by Dr. Jerry has allowed families the opportunity to say goodbye to their loved ones properly and comfortably, initially over FaceTime, but then in person.  Elevate appreciates Jerry’s dedication to the community, and we are thankful to have him as a client. #ElevateTampa