Success Stories
Saving a child’s life with a phone call
"I remember receiving a call from a mother one day. Her son was having trouble swallowing
and she was quite upset. A prior attempt to have her son seen by the mother’s primary
care doctor was unsuccessful. He could not fit her in, and based on the description
she provided, he suggested it was just a sore throat. She was growing more concerned
and yet she said the doctor was just not listening to her. She then called our health
center and told us what was going on with her son. I asked her to explain a bit
more. Based on what I heard, I told her that it sounded like his epiglottis was
swollen, and that she should get him to the ER. The doctors in the ER said if you
didn’t get him in here, he would’ve died."
Health Center Doctor
Helping diagnose and treat what others could not see.
"A young woman came in complaining of diarrhea and abdominal pain. She was unable
to keep fluids down and was becoming dehydrated. She had already gone to the ER
where they told her nothing was wrong. Lab work was done and everything appeared
normal. She then came to see me. It was clear she was very sick. After looking at
the labs, I could see she was not OK. She was extremely dehydrated. We sent her
to the hospital and I called the ER to tell them who I was sending and why. I told
them to do some labs and check on the results of the prior labs. A few hours later,
I received a call from the ER saying they weren’t sure what to do because while
I wanted her admitted and watched, they couldn’t find anything wrong with her. But
they did admit her and ran some more tests. It turns out she had food poisoning.
So with some antibiotics and fluids, she felt better the next day. She wouldn’t
have gotten that if she’d gone back to the ER on her own. That’s what you feel really
good about."
Health Center Doctor
Going the extra mile
"We had a patient who had become very sick. So sick that she was unable to go out
and get the medication she needed for her illness. One of the nurses at our health
center decided there was only one thing to do. After her shift had ended, she got
in her car and drove over 30 miles out of her way and delivered the prescription
to the patient. It’s not just about taking care of a person, it’s about really caring
for them too."
Health Center Nurse