of the Year

Rhea Geelan, RN
RN, Center for Hematologic Malignancies – Bone Marrow Transplant
Manager: Jorge Gitler
The Center for Hematologic Malignancies (CHM) infusion clinic is a
community. Clinic nurses see these patients multiple times each week.
They get to know patients and their families, and listen to their fears,
hopes and dreams. Some patients do well, receive many treatments,
get their disease into remission and move on with their lives. Others
persevere through treatment after treatment, battling until there are
no other options but hospice or palliative care.
Rhea leads and coordinates this difficult process. Frequently patients
call the clinic’s triage line seeking advice for potentially life-threatening
conditions. Rhea speaks with them empathetically, giving them her
fullest attention and the assurance that they need to advocate for
themselves. Her advice is clinically accurate and compassionate. She
has dedicated time and effort to increase her and her co-workers
knowledge and confidence in working with patients and families who
are in the midst of transitioning through various levels of cancer care.
Rhea works hard to ensure that the patient and their family are
comfortable. She is kind and gentle and knows exactly what to say,
when words are hard to come by. Rhea goes out of her way to
accommodate patients:
• While Rhea was working as the triage nurse, she tried to call a
patient who lived alone at the coast . Unable to contact him, Rhea
called the police to do a home safety check. He was not doing well
and was transported to OHSU and admitted. While he was in the
hospital he was told there was not much more that could be done
about his disease and he was placed on “comfort care”. The only
thing he cared about during all of this was his dog, Geronimo, and
he desperately wanted to see him. Rhea made it possible for the
patient to spend time with his “best friend”, Geronimo, before his
passing.
• Rhea recently helped facilitate a much needed palliative care
discussion with a patient whose disease had progressed. The
patient was in denial about her situation and would miss
appointments and then call the triage line with a list of
complaints. The patient’s significant other/caregiver was very
overwhelmed and could not handle the stress of all that was
going on. He alluded to the fact that he was suicidal one day.
Rhea called the social worker to help deal with the situation so
she could deal with the patient’s issues. She made sure that
the patient had a ride set up so she could get to clinic to receive
the care she needed. Throughout the whole process, Rhea was
there to help, with encouragement, a comforting heart and a
warm smile.
• Rhea worked with a patient that had gone through multiple
cycles of chemotherapy, only to relapse a few months after
finishing her last chemotherapy regimen. The patient was a
feisty lady. She was not ready to give up and was given the
option of palliative care so she could continue to receive blood
transfusions. Rhea worked hard to make this happen so the
patient’s life could be prolonged. Before her passing, the
patient was able to share in the celebration of her new
granddaughter’s birth.
Anyone that comes into contact with Rhea knows that she is “one
of a kind”. She goes the extra mile to make sure that all the
patients’ needs are fulfilled. She celebrates life with a special zest.
The Virginia I. Sznewajs award was created by the Sznewajs family to recognize an OHSU nurse who consistently demonstrates
excellence in supporting patients and their families through a life-threatening disease and death of a patient. The award is to
recognize professional excellence and to support the staff member's continued professional development in the area of palliative
nursing. Recipients receive a $1500 scholarship to further his/her palliative care education.