Meet Baptist Legend Karen Tilton
Emergency teams at hospitals see many challenging circumstances. A year ago, Karen Tilton, clinical manager at Gulf Breeze Hospital, encountered a particularly challenging case. A woman lost her husband suddenly and unexpectedly in the ER. The husband had taken care of her and managed nearly every aspect of their lives. He was also her rock, the person she leaned on every day. When he died, she was devastated and felt completely alone.
The couple was fairly new to the area, and prior to his death, the wife had been suffering from debilitating depression. Some days, she even struggled to climb out of bed. With the enormous loss of her husband, she truly fell apart. Karen Tilton recognized this and, without hesitation, led her by the hand to take small steps to empower her.
Karen contacted various resources within Baptist and the community. Karen reached out to Share Your Heart, Interfaith Ministries, and other partnerships to help the wife through a difficult journey. Karen met her often at a local coffee shop to provide support and encouragement. Over time, the wife began to drive. Later, she took a full-time job. Now she’s navigating her journey in healthier ways.
A year later, Karen still reaches out to the woman every few days to see how she’s doing. Bad days still occur, but they’re less often, thanks to Karen and other angels in our community. There are other instances like this where Karen has been a blessing to others. Karen repeatedly displays our Values. Her Ownership, Integrity, Compassion, Excellence and Service make Karen a Baptist Health Care Legend.
