“I could hit Rhode Island Hospital with a rock.”
“I don’t go there.”
“Why did you call us?”
“I need to go to the hospital.”
“I’ll take you.”
“Not that one.”
And so it goes. My patient, an eighty-five year old great-grandmother insisted on being taken across the city to Miriam Hospital, a smaller place on the east Side. Rhode Island and Miriam are affiliated, the same doctors, record keeping, security.
“You’ll have to find another way.”
“They took me last night.”
She had been released from Miriam Hospital a few hours ago. At 0100 hrs, a Providence Rescue took her from her home, bordering the parking lot of Rhode Island Hospital’s Emergency Room parking lot to Miriam. I have no idea why. Sometimes it’s just easier.
Mondays are non-stop, the calls just keep coming. My portable radio continued to transmit, a Cranston Rescue to Broad Street, A Smithfield Rescue to Admiral Street, East Providence to Kennedy Plaza her family members started to pour into the little house.
“Why ain’t they takin her?”
“I don’t know.”
“They took her last night.”
“Those guys weren’t assholes.”
I suggested they call for a private ambulance. They did. We waited. The family continued to grow. We continued to wait. The patient was in no distress, normal vital signs, possibly dehydrated, according to the paperwork from Miriam, a few hours old.
“I must be an asshole,” I muttered forty-five minutes later as we loaded her into the truck and took her to Miriam.
No just a GOOD GUY doing his job, and thank goodness for men like you.
We get requests like that all the time except that the hospital everyone wants to go to is over an hour away (a Level I hospital as opposed to our regular Level III hospital). Many many times I have argued with patients about where we have to take them… but I usually don’t get called an asshole. Instead its usually a bitch. haha.
Serves you right for letting them call Universal! LOL
whoa
Thankfully, here we just take them to their nearest A&E unless they need a specialised unit.Get plenty of requests not to go to one hospital, but if they are nearest to it, that is where they end up.Saves anyarguments or long discussions on scene
Rich – UK Para
Thanks, Susie, always appreciated. Jennie, sometimes you gotta be a bitch. Ha! As for you anonomous, you are correst! D seizure, welcome aboard and hello Rich, nice to hear from you.
Glad this wasn’t my grandmother, OR YOURS for that matter- I’d have the complaint in faster than you drove her!Get a grip- who cares if you have to “drive accross town” when did you lose your compassion? OR have you ever had any, maybe it’s time to try out a different part of your department
Anonymous, you really should think before commenting. This was a non emergency transport. It would be much easier for me to take a nice leisurely drive across the city rather than respond to all of the other calls that come in. 911 is for emergencies, that is what we do.Take a hike, furthur comments will be deleted before I read them.
Surely you will read them first curiosity kills the cat!Yes I completely agree 911 is for emergency’s and you all see your fair share of them! But what YOU are forgetting is that it is NOT YOUR place to say weather or not the person calling feels the issue is and emergency so it’s also not your place to degrade someone or try to teach them a lesson by calling the private ambulance in front of them. When they called they must have felt there reason was emergent. What happens next time they are in real need and are afraid to call because you may show up and yell at them again!You make it sound like they were calling you for a ride to the local store.So like I said get a grip have some compassion. After all you are not GOD!