The Living the Mission Award is given to people who bring the network’s mission to life, demonstrating the sacred work of improving the quality of life for people in the communities we serve. They use their own time and resources to transform lives, whether that’s at a network location or out in the community.
You can read the nomination story of the November Living the Mission recipient below. Congratulations to our recipient!
Baskar Dorairaj – Inpatient Therapy, Soin Medical Center
“Baskar “Bobby” Dorairaj is a wonderful human being! My colleague is a very warmhearted person who loves to make people smile and feel welcomed, particularly when they are not feeling their best. He is a firm believer in putting himself in other people’s shoes so that he can better understand their specific needs and figure out the best way to help them during their time at Soin and beyond. The examples of Baskar doing this are numerous. A good example of this occurred recently when we had a patient on our therapy caseload who had been struck by a car while crossing the street. This led to the patient being hospitalized and ultimately requiring surgery. To complicate matters, the patient was a newcomer to the U.S. who had come here on his own to further his education. He was here a grand total of four days and was just starting to embark on this exciting new chapter in his life before this untimely incident occurred. As one could imagine, the patient felt extremely overwhelmed because he was adjusting to life in a new country with a very limited support system around him. Having been here for such a short time, he had not yet established housing. Nor was he afforded many opportunities to establish the type of connections that one depends on for help and support during trying times. The patient did have a niece who was able to fly in from Texas, however, she could only stay for a limited number of days before she had to return to Texas. Following surgery, the patient was very emotional and clearly overwhelmed by his road to recovery. Add to that the pressure of trying to get settled in a new place far from home while having what he perceived as a very limited support system. Fortunately for this patient, Baskar was assigned to evaluate and develop a physical therapy plan of care for him. Baskar identified this gentleman as someone who needed extra support to get back on track. During his evaluation, Baskar seamlessly utilized the ICARE approach to help calm the patient and give him some comfort in knowing that he was not alone in an unfamiliar place. Baskar took time after his long workdays to visit with the patient every day to make sure he was coping with his situation and in good spirits. Baskar even prepared and delivered meals to the patient to make him feel just a little closer to home. When the time came for the patient to be discharged from the hospital, he found himself in a difficult position once again because all his personal belongings were at the local hotel where he had been staying, but he did not have any friends or family to call on to collect his belongings, much less to deliver them to the skilled nursing facility where he was going for rehab. Understandably, the patient was very stressed and felt helpless. But, once again, Baskar took it upon himself to go the extra mile to help. After his shift had ended, Baskar drove to the hotel, gathered all the patient’s personal belongings, and delivered them to the rehab facility for the patient. The patient was very appreciative and thankful for all Baskar’s acts of kindness. Baskar clearly embodies and lives our values daily. He is a positive influence on the workplace culture at Soin and brings immediate value to patient experience. He has expressed that his truest passion lies in patient care, and as demonstrated in this example, he is willing to go above, beyond, and outside the norm to lend a helping hand to those who need it.”