A Heartfelt Commitment to Care
Nestor Batugal remembers the day four years ago when he received a call from Emanate Health Inter-Community Hospital offering him a job at its Heart Care Center’s cardiac catheterization laboratory (cath lab). “I was driving in Oregon with my husband during a snowstorm, and we had just slid off the road,” he laughed. “I figured it must have been some sort of sign!”
Eight months prior to receiving that call, Nestor had “retired” after more than three decades of working as a critical care registered nurse. However, he admittedly became “bored” and was seeking a part-time opportunity with Emanate Health, having spent most of his professional life in a cath lab. “In critical care, I loved figuring out what was going on and being the eyes and ears for my patients,” said Nestor, whose mother was an assistant director of nursing in the Philippines. “It was an easy transition to something more specialized.”
While quick with a joke, Nestor is extremely thoughtful in how he cares for his patients. “People deal with stress in different ways,” he observed, “and whether patients are brisk, indifferent, or angry, they are often scared, so sometimes I use comedy to help them let their guard down.” He also holds a deep admiration for his team. “I have worked in several cath labs, and this one is the most cohesive and enjoyable,” Nestor stated, noting the diverse backgrounds of his colleagues. “They are the perfect example of a team.”
He is also proud of the variety of cardiac procedures that his department performs as a STEMI (ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction) Receiving Center. “We are very progressive for a hospital of this size,” noted Nestor, who has worked in larger organizations including Cook County Hospital in Chicago. “The variety of high-end cardiac procedures we perform is huge, where other hospitals in the region may only perform one or two of these procedures.”
At all of his previous hospitals, Nestor has donated back to their foundations and continues that tradition with the Emanate Health Employee Giving Program. “I’m part of this community,” said Nestor, who contributes through payroll deduction. “I want to be supportive of my company because they’re supporting me.”
Learn more about the Emanate Health Employee Giving Program at www.emanatehealth.org/employee.