MAKING THE ROUNDS
A day in the life of caregivers , friends , and volunteers at Scott & White
Nurse Erin Noel is a source of comfort for patients like Wanda Harris of Whitney , Texas .
Erin Noel , RN
Infusion nurse at Hillcrest Baptist Medical Center - Scott & White Healthcare
Patients say nurse Noel “ kills cancer with kindness ”.
there was an inscription on the door to Room 1401 at Hillcrest Baptist Medical Center in Waco , it would probably say : “ At first you think this is going to be the scariest place you ’ ve ever been , but it turns out to be the best place .” Infusion nurse Erin Noel , RN , has heard patients say that dozens of times , and she never gets tired of it , just as she never tires of reminding them that in her domain , the
If
“ C ” word isn ’ t “ cancer ,” but “ care .”
Ms . Noel ’ s domain is the outpatient infusion therapy center on Hillcrest ’ s fourth floor , where more than 130 patients receive chemotherapy and other intravenous treatments each month . The converted hospital room has four infusion stations — each consisting of a reclining chair and a portable IV stand — plus a rolling vital signs monitor , several visitor chairs , and a wall-mounted TV , which is usually tuned to the Food Network or the History Channel .
Ms . Noel herself is usually at her “ island ,” which is actually a rolling table that she uses as a base of operations as she attends to patients , often whistling a snippet of classical music , a show tune , or a church hymn .
No one leaves the infusion center without receiving a smile , and usually a hug . That ’ s Ms . Noel ’ s policy . Miriam
See photos and more from the groundbreaking ceremony at the new Scott & White Cancer Center - Hillcrest . Visit swcatalyst . org .
26 The Catalyst November 12 | sw . org