This week at "my" hospital in Kansas City, I had the pleasure of taking care of a very nice man from a really tiny town in the middle of nowhere, a little ways south of Amarillo Texas. He came to us because no place any closer to home could meet his needs, and we happened to have an ICU bed.
We patched him up, and he recovered the best he could. Which meant he was stable and didn't need our high level of care anymore, but as is often the case in these situations was stuck here, 15+ hours from family, and unable to get home in a private vehicle. In addition to COVID and other complex medical issues, he also has dementia. Which means he had a very hard time understanding what was going on.
We puzzled over this, made lots of phone calls, scratched our heads, dug deep, and finally one of our BRILLIANT social workers (Cathleen) came up with a plan. She figured out a way to get him an air ambulance home, using a grant their town had received for taking care of patients "displaced by the pandemic". When I went in to tell him he was going home yesterday, he started to cry. He told me he didn't think he would ever get to see "them" again. In addition to his wife, daughter and son, he was badly missing "coco" the dog.
Getting patients to a lesser level of care (ie back home) from a higher level of care (our hospital) is one of those incredibly difficult things that is often cost prohibitive for families, and it is not covered by insurance. When this all worked out in a way that I still can't believe, I told him it was a Christmas Miracle and he agreed it must be so.
As we learn new things from taking care of patients during this pandemic I hope this problem is one that can be solved for more people in the future, because isn't it as important to return someone to their family as it is to send them far away to try and fix them?
Such a beautiful Christmas miracle! Thanks for sharing a happy story.
Posted by: Debbie | 12/19/2020 at 10:18 PM
Well said, Carol, and so true.
Posted by: jacki long | 12/19/2020 at 10:53 PM
This is what Christmas is all about. Thank you.
Posted by: Linda Watson | 12/20/2020 at 11:16 AM
Amen to the comments previously made.
Your part in this large, virtually unknown complication in the time of pandemic needs
Exposure.
Carol, thank you for the service you give to those who are so vulnerable and seem to
come to an impasse in that vulnerability.
Thanks to your colleagues who work hard to bring care beyond that which is their
immediate responsibility.
Let us lift up the spirit of love and care for all those in need who cross our path.
Peace, light, love during this time and beyond.
Posted by: Barbara Tarbox | 12/20/2020 at 07:54 PM
You are an angel in this Christmas miracle. Thank you for all you do for patients at “your” hospital, and thank you for lifting your readers’ spirits with this beautiful Christmas story.
Posted by: Becky | 12/20/2020 at 09:03 PM
Oh, this turned out to have a wonderful ending! I send my heartfelt thanks to you, and all of the wonderful hospital personnel, that are taking care of us. God Bless You!
Posted by: Susan | 12/21/2020 at 09:57 AM