Helping a patient experiencing homelessness find a safe place

Carrah Campos is a mother, grandmother and entrepreneur who believes in the power of amazing.

A 16-year employee of UCHealth, Campos works as a patient financial counselor for the UCHealth University of Colorado Hospital billing department and picks up extra hours as a patient care assistant on the burn unit.

Burn units tend to have a high population of people experiencing homelessness and sometimes, they remain onsite for extended periods to heal from frost bite, burns graft procedures and other severe wounds.

On a busy Sunday afternoon, Campos arrived to her shift on the burn unit and learned of a patient trying to find a shelter so she could be discharged after a lengthy hospital stay.

“My mom instinct immediately kicked in and I went to chat with her,” Campos said.

What she found was a frustrated and anxious young woman using a borrowed iPad to try and navigate shelter options so she could proceed with her discharge from UCH.

“She was venting and very much wanting to leave, so I quickly began researching and calling shelters that might be able to take her,” Campos said.

On a chilly week, when available shelter beds were few and far between, holding a bed can be a big ask. But the patient had to have a place to go to continue recovering.

After countless calls and messages, Campos reached the last possibility on her list – a shelter in Colorado Springs.

While the person who first picked up the call kindly said they were unable to hold space, Campos knew this was the last option and asked for a supervisor she could talk with.

After hearing this patient’s story, the supervisor agreed to take her on the condition that she arrive before they lock up for the night at 10 p.m.

With five hours until the deadline, that was enough time to finalize her discharge and secure a ride from UCH in Aurora to Colorado Springs.

While the patient anxiously awaited the moment she could leave, Campos suggested she order a meal, encouraging her to ask for some extra chips, a cookie and some water to take when she left.

“We don’t know when their next meal will be, so I always tell them to order a little more so they leave with something to eat,” Campos said.

At 6:45 p.m., 15 minutes before the discharge lounge closes for the day, news came that a ride from Denver to Colorado Springs could not be arranged.

Not about to give up, the burn unit charge nurse, Kelly Tuohy, enlisted Caitlin Connelly, house supervisor, to help secure a ride share service.

At 8:30 p.m. Campos received word she could take the patient to the ER entrance for a ride service pick up.

“I was so relieved to know this patient was going finally to make it to the shelter,” Campos said.

But then the first ride share driver pulled up and immediately cancelled.

Undeterred, Connelly kept calling for drivers, all while staying in contact with Campos who is sitting with the patient.

Another driver accepts, only to cancel again because the return trip to Denver from Colorado Springs without a passenger isn’t making them enough money to justify the time spent.

“Even though the house supervisor has so much other responsibility, [Caitlin] went above and beyond to keep trying,” Campos said.

It was 9:30 p.m. when a willing driver arrived. Campos helped her patient into the car. She then called the shelter supervisor with an arrival time and they agreed to wait, even though it would be past 10 p.m.

“I love that UCHealth is all about putting patients first and that I get to work around people who do everything possible to create positive outcomes.”

Campos gave the patient her contact information just in case there were any issues getting into the shelter, but that call never came.

“I was so impressed with Carrah’s kindness and communication throughout this prolonged discharge,” Connelly said. “She clearly cares deeply for her patients and is a wonderful teammate.”

“My famous word is amazing,” Campos said. “Each patient is amazing. What we do here is amazing. I tell every patient that today is amazing – because when you see each day as amazing, it will be.”