When a patient who was experiencing homelessness arrived at CommonSpirit St. Anthony Summit Hospital in Frisco in 2024, nurse Karen Dierks had no idea that it would lead her on a treasure hunt, of sorts - not to mention a shout out from the Denver Broncos.
Karen, like the thousands of caregivers across the Mountain Region of CommonSpirit Health, is known for regularly going the extra mile for our patients, no matter how difficult the person or complex the case.
“She’s just compassionate, and she goes above and beyond in everything she does,” said Danielle Hughes, Director of Nursing Services at St. Anthony Summit Hospital.
Watch: Karen Dierks, RN, shares her story
On this particular night, Karen’s patient quickly inspired compassion. Although he was in serious need of medical care that would lead to a multi-day stay at Summit, he was worried about his possessions he’d left behind in a public space.
“He was very tearful about losing everything he had - clothing, his bicycle and mostly his photo album of his family that was very important to him,” Karen recalls.
So after work, Karen set out to locate the patient’s belongings. Sure enough, she found his possessions, including the cherished photo album. She loaded the belongings into her car and returned them to the patient, who was grateful.
For her efforts, Karen received a CommonSpirit Acts of Humankindness Award, among the 100 winners and 500+ nominees in the Mountain Region this year who showed exceptional compassion and dedication to our ministry and communities.
Karen, joined by Danielle and two other colleagues, was recognized on the field at Mile High during the Denver Broncos game on Dec. 2, 2024.
“When I heard what Karen did, it just made me so proud of the nursing team here,” Danielle said. “We want to give the best care, even to the patients that are sometimes the most difficult. It doesn’t matter where you come from or what you do - they’re going to find the same quality of care, no matter what.”
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