160: Advocating Even When It’s Hard with Irine Chacko MS CCC-SLP

As SLPs, we need to advocate for our patients even when it’s hard. Irine Chacko joins Leigh Ann on the podcast to describe her experience during COVID-19 that changed her mindset and confidence in advocating and giving a voice to her patients. Irine was selected as the SLP for an acute rehab pilot program initiated at her hospital during COVID-19. Sixteen medically fragile COVID-19 patients between the ages of 40-70 joined the newly established unit from her hospital and neighboring hospitals. All the patients were on the ventilator with tracheostomy and PEG. These were patients in acute care for months and not able to be weaned off and/or did not have the adequate support to do so. By discharge from the pilot program, all patients were off of COVID precautions, alert and oriented, and on a PO diet. This experience taught her to find her voice even when it’s difficult. Check out the show notes for Irine's slide deck and contact info at https://www.speechuncensored.com/podcastepisodes/160