Envision Exiting the State of California | American Academy of Emergency Medicine PR Web
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Envision Exiting the State of California | American Academy of Emergency Medicine - PR Web
Category Archives: Emergency Medicine
Emergency Docs at "Breaking Point" — Demand Action – Franklin Observer
(Image courtesy of American College of Emergency Physicians)
The overwhelming majority of emergency department (ED)physicians across the country have experienced, witnessed or been subjected to threats, abuse, assault and injury during their shifts, said Dr. Melisa Lai-Becker, chief of Mass General Brigham Community Emergency Medicine. Under existing law, a nurse can be punched and kicked by a patient or visitor and the crime is classified as simple assault, which is a misdemeanor, rather than a felony charge of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, she said.
"There are, unfortunately, many people who have come at us, who knowingly and willingly have assaulted us and our staff, and they are our patients, and they have committed only a misdemeanor," Lai-Becker said. "And we call the police, and the police are just as frustrated. Our partners in law enforcement, they also tell us, 'I am sorry, this is a misdemeanor, I am not allowed to take them away, I can't take them into custody.'"
Instead, Lai-Becker said, violent patients end up staying at the hospital and taunting health care workers, whose colleagues may be admitted for care themselves after an attack.
Emergency physicians looking to strengthen safety protections for health care workers and stiffen penalties for assault charges had a powerful ally on hand during their Beacon Hill lobby day Thursday.
"I don't sponsor many bills because I'm the majority leader, but this bill was important to me," House Majority Leader Michael Moran said about his bid to crack down on violence in health care settings as he described learning about the issue from advocates. "We have a few months left in this session. It is my hope that we get this out of Health Care Finance -- which I believe is the committee it's in right now; it was reported to that committee from Public Safety -- and see if we can get this across the line between now and the end of July."
Moran's bill (H 2381) was reported favorably out of the Joint Committee on Public Safety and Homeland Security on May 22 and sent to the Joint Committee on Health Care Financing. It would create standards for hospitals to evaluate security risks, require hospitals to develop violence prevention plans, implement mandatory and protected reporting protocols tied to safety incidents, and classify assaults against health care providers and first responders as a felony.
Doctors and residents with the Massachusetts College of Emergency Physicians are also prioritizing their advocacy around overhauling the involuntary commitment landscape for individuals grappling with alcohol and substance use disorders, and establishing a 10-year pilot program for overdose prevention centers to stem the tide of opioid-related overdose deaths. Those proposals have gained some traction among legislators, but still need key committee votes to advance to the floor for debate before the end of formal sessions next month.
Physicians made their requests to lawmakers against the backdrop of deteriorating health care conditions, including the protracted emergency room boarding crisis that's leading to poorer outcomes for patients, avoidable deaths, burnout for providers and a worsening workforce shortage. The circumstances are making physicians feel like they are doing a "terrible" job and that the health care system is collapsing, said Dr. Joseph Kopp, an emergency physician at Faulkner Hospital and Brigham and Women's Hospital.
"It is at a breaking point. We can't solve the issues that we're having right now when we're trying to see patients in the waiting room," Kopp said. "Hospitals are trying different innovative ways to do this; whether it's hallway care upstairs or early discharges, there's lots of things that they can do. But quite frankly, it's going to take the government and legislative processes to actually fix this issue."
During their legislative briefing, MACEP advocates also sought to generate momentum for an involuntary commitment reform bill from Rep. Ruth Balser (H 1966), which is accompanied by a similar proposal from Sen. Cindy Friedman (S 1247). The legislation, which has been in the House Ways and Means Committee since mid-April, would block the state from sending men to correctional facilities when they are committed for alcohol and substance use disorder treatment.
The overhaul to what's known as Section 35, which physicians said is often seen as a last resort for families looking to keep their loved ones safe, would require men instead to go to treatment facilities administered by the Department of Public Health and the Department of Mental Health. Advocates said officials rely on prison beds when there's a shortage of space in more appropriate treatment settings, though Balser's bill would require the state to maintain an adequate bed supply for men under Section 35.
Women who are involuntarily committed under Section 35 stopped being sent to prisons in 2016, advocates said.
"Massachusetts is the only state in the country that sends individuals to carceral facilities -- the only one that will send them to jails to have this treatment. No other state does this," Dr. Scott Weiner, an emergency physician at Brigham and Women's Hospital, said.
"It's not the best place to be treated for this disease," Weiner continued. "Does it work? Short answer: No. Systematic reviews show that there's no evidence of benefit, and we know that when people get out of a carceral facility, their risk of overdose markedly increases."
Focusing on prevention strategies to tackle the opioid epidemic, emergency physicians support controversial bills to establish overdose prevention centers, where trained professionals are available and can intervene in overdose situations.
Proposals from Reps. Dylan Fernandes and Marjorie Decker and Sen. Julian Cyr (H 1981 / S 1242) that pave a path for the centers, also known as supervised injection sites, have been lodged in the House and Senate Ways and Means committees for months.
Boston could save $4 million annually if the city had an overdose prevention center, by cutting costs from ambulance rides, emergency department visits and hospitalizations, Weiner said, referencing a past study.
"Large studies have shown that there's no harm in using safe injection facilities. In fact, there are reductions in morbidity and mortality, improvement in harm reduction behaviors, there's more access to addiction treatment programs," Weiner said.
Cities and towns that want to open safe injection sites would still need approval from their local boards of health under the bills.
"It's not a mandate. There's a ton of requirements about what they need to provide to patients," Weiner told advocates ahead of their meetings with lawmakers. "We hope that people in this room to influence policy will help move it forward."
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Emergency Docs at "Breaking Point" -- Demand Action - Franklin Observer
New study finds significant increase in heat-related ER visits last year: ‘Every year now we’re doing this earlier and earlier’ – The Cool Down
In 2023, record-breaking heat caused an increase in the number of people visiting the emergency room with heat-related illnesses, according to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study detailed by The New York Times.
A recent study by the CDC found that the rate of emergency room visits caused by heat illness increased significantly last year in many areas of the country compared to the previous five years.
The data, collected from an electronic surveillance program used by the government to detect the spread of diseases, showed nearly 120,000 heat-related emergency room visits. More than 90% of these occurred between May and September. The highest number of visits were recorded in the South, in states such as Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas.
2023 broke a lot of heat records. According to information from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 2023 was the warmest year on Earth since global record-keeping began, and the U.S. experienced its 15th-hottest summer since record-keeping began. Some states felt the heat more than others Louisiana recorded its hottest summer ever, and it was among the top 10 hottest summers in six other states, per Yale Climate Connections.
Climate scientists have been warning for decades about the dangers of a warming planet. Every year we are seeing more deadly heat-related events, such as the astonishing 125-degree heat index that occurred in Puerto Rico last June.
This is having an impact on health. Heat illness often creeps up on people gradually over a few hours and requires immediate attention to cool the body down. Without treatment, it can cause major damage to the body's organs.
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Early symptoms of heat exhaustion include fatigue, dehydration, nausea, headaches, increased heart rate, and muscle spasms.
Trying to keep cool as the temperatures soar is the best way to avoid harm. State officials are working to coordinate cooling shelters in some areas, while in others hospitals are already trying to ensure they are ready to cope with the number of heat illness patients they are expecting this year.
Dr. Aneesh Narang, an emergency medicine specialist at Banner-University Medical Center in Phoenix, told the Times: "Every year now we're doing this earlier and earlier. We know that the chances are it's going to be the same or worse."
There are several ways we can all contribute to reducing the pollution that is causing global warming.
Using public transport or driving electric vehicles, reducing energy consumption, switching to renewable energies, and buying local produce are all steps that one can take to help cool the planet down.Voting for pro-climate candidates and taking local action can also ensure that our governments are working to reduce climate issues and help secure a more sustainable future for our planet.
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RightCare Clinic offers patients emergency services at better value – Grand Rapids Business Journal
A physician group that staffs emergency rooms at hospitals including Corewell Health plans to open its own Grand Rapids clinic next month offering a new model for care that it hopes could expand to additional locations.
Emergency Care Specialists P.C.s RightCare Clinic will provide a level of care above whats available at an urgent care center, yet below what hospitals provide in an emergency room for cases such as trauma injuries, strokes and heart attacks.
RightCare Clinic will include services such as medical imaging X-ray, CT, and diagnostic ultrasound diagnostic labs and cardiac monitoring that urgent care centers lack and refer patients to a hospital to access.
We know there are a lot of things in the ED that could be seen elsewhere if there was the right provider mix, the right available tests and treatment, and those sorts of things, John Throop, president of Emergency Care Specialists, told Crains Grand Rapids Business. Wereintermediating ourselves between the urgent care and the ED, providing a higher level of service without having to do the strokes and the traumas and the heart attacks and those things.
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Emergency medicine physicians will staff the new RightCare Clinic when it is scheduled to open on July 8 in a former West Michigan Cardiology P.C. location at East Beltline Avenue and Bradford Street NE, just north of I-96.
Emergency Care Specialists projects serving 3,400 patients in the first six months of operations.
Conditions the clinic will handle range from minor injuries and illnesses to evaluations for patients with chest and abdominal pain, cardiac monitoring, and intravenous infusions and medication administration. The clinic will refer patients who need a higher level of care to a hospital.
Lacking the cost structure of a hospital and the facility fees that typically accompany an emergency room visit, which is on top of the physician fee, the clinic can provide much of what patients would otherwise get at an ER and for a lower cost, exexutives at Emergency Care Specialists said.
Where we came up with this concept is in realizing that the emergency department is an expensive place of care, largely from the hospital charge and were not a big portion of that equation on the physician side of things and looking for alternatives as patients and employers and patients look for better costs for areas of care, Throop said. The difference with this is its going to be near-ED clinical services without that large facility fee associated with it. We think its a better value.
A 2023 report by prescription service provider Universal Drugstore estimated the average cost of a Michigan ER visit at $1,273. Another analysis this year by benefits company Mira Health pegs the cost at $1,393. Other studies show the cost is much higher, sometimes double, for patients who lack health insurance.
This is going to save a lot of people a lot of money, said Dr. Todd Chassee, vice president of clinical services at Emergency Care Specialists and medical director for RightCare Clinic.
The 40-year-old Emergency Care Specialists staffs emergency rooms at 13 hospitals across the state, including Corewell Health and McLaren Health Care. The group employs nearly 200 physicians and 100 advanced practitioners who treat about 500,000 patients annually. The group also contracts with Cherry Health in Grand Rapids.
RightCare will not operate as a walk-in clinic, but rather focus on same- or next-day patient referrals and appointments, although staff will still accept patients who come in without scheduling an appointment or calling ahead of time, Throop said.
He added that Emergency Care Specialists is close to finalizing agreements with Priority Health and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan to reimburse for members care.
Emergency Care Specialists also has been examining direct contracting with employers, particularly with large self-funded employers who operate their own on-site of near-site employee primary care clinics, Throop said.
If the RightCare Clinic model proves successful, Emergency Care Specialists will examine whether to open more locations in the region.
If this goes how we think it is going to go, therell be more RightCares, Throop said. Well need to see that its sustainable financially. It doesnt have to be operating with a huge margin. It needs to be sustainable and needs to be providing a quality service and doing what we envision that it was going to do in terms of access, convenience and cost.
Expanding hours beyond whats presently planned or adding additional locations will hinge on validating the model behind RightCare, Chassee said.
If we can prove the concept, then we can grow, he said.
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RightCare Clinic offers patients emergency services at better value - Grand Rapids Business Journal
Using SI and DSI to Predict Septic Shock in Patients with Sepsis at ED Triage – Physician’s Weekly
The following is a summary of Predicting septic shock in patients with sepsis at emergency department triage using systolic and diastolic shock index, published in the April 2024 issue of Emergency Medicine by Jeon, et al.
Identifying patients at high risk of progressing to septic shock is crucial for timely intervention and improved outcomes. In the pathophysiology of septic shock, systemic vasodilation plays a pivotal role, prompting interest in utilizing diastolic blood pressure (DBP) as a potential predictor. For a study, researchers hypothesized that initial shock index (SI) and diastolic SI (DSI) measured at the emergency department (ED) triage could serve as predictive indicators for septic shock.
The observational study utilized data from a prospectively collected sepsis registry. The primary outcome assessed was the progression to septic shock, while secondary outcomes included time to vasopressor requirement, vasopressor dose, and disease severity based on SI and DSI. Patients were categorized into tertiles based on the first principal component of the shock index and diastolic shock index.
A total of 1,267 patients were analyzed. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) for predicting progression to septic shock was 0.717 for DSI and 0.707 for SI. These AUC values were significantly higher than those for conventional early warning scores. The middle tertile exhibited an adjusted odds ratio (aOR) of 1.448 (95% CI 1.0741.953), while the upper tertile showed an aOR of 3.704 (95% CI 2.2994.111) for progression to septic shock.
Both SI and DSI emerged as significant predictors of progression to septic shock, with DSI also showing an association with vasopressor requirement. Stratifying patients into lower, middle, and upper tertiles based on these indices could provide a simple risk assessment tool at the ED triage, facilitating early identification and intervention for patients at high risk of septic shock.
Reference: sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0735675724000287
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Using SI and DSI to Predict Septic Shock in Patients with Sepsis at ED Triage - Physician's Weekly
Phoenix using ice immersion to treat heat stroke victims as Southwest bakes in triple digits – Bay to Bay News
By ANITA SNOW
PHOENIX (AP) The season's first heat wave is already baking the Southwest with triple-digit temperatures as firefighters in Phoenix America's hottest big city employ new tactics in hopes of saving more lives in a county that saw 645 heat-related deaths last year.
Starting this season, the Phoenix Fire Department is immersing heatstroke victims in ice on the way to area hospitals. The medical technique, known as cold water immersion, is familiar to marathon runners and military service members and has also recently been adopted by Phoenix hospitals as a go-to protocol, said Fire Capt. John Prato.
Prato demonstrated the method earlier this week outside the emergency department of Valleywise Health Medical Center in Phoenix, packing ice cubes inside an impermeable blue bag around a medical dummy representing a patient. He said the technique could dramatically lower body temperature in minutes.
Just last week we had a critical patient that we were able to bring back before we walked through the emergency room doors, Prato said. That's our goal to improve patient survivability.
The heatstroke treatment has made ice and human-sized immersion bags standard equipment on all Phoenix fire department emergency vehicles. It is among measures the city adopted this year as temperatures and their human toll soar ever higher. Phoenix for the first time is also keeping two cooling stations open overnight this season.
Emergency responders in much of an area stretching from southeast California to central Arizona are preparing for what the National Weather Service said would be easily their hottest weather since last September.
Excessive heat warnings were issued for Wednesday morning through Friday evening for parts of southern Nevada and Arizona, with highs expected to top 110 degrees Fahrenheit (43.3 Celsius) in Las Vegas and Phoenix. The unseasonably hot weather was expected to spread northward and make its way into parts of the Pacific Northwest by the weekend.
Officials in Maricopa County were stunned earlier this year when final numbers showed 645 heat-related deaths in Arizona's largest county, a majority of them in Phoenix. The most brutal period was a heat wave with 31 subsequent days of temperatures of 110 degrees Fahrenheit (43.4 Celsius) or higher, which claimed more than 400 lives.
Weve been seeing a severe uptick in the past three years in cases of severe heat illness, said Dr. Paul Pugsley, medical director of emergency medicine with Valleywise Health. Of those, about 40% do not survive.
Cooling down patients long before they get to the emergency department could change the equation, he said.
The technique is not very widely spread in non-military hospitals in the U.S., nor in the prehospital setting among fire departments or first responders, Pugsley said. He said part of that may be a longstanding perception that the technique's use for all cases of heatstroke by first responders or even hospitals was impractical or impossible.
Pugsley said he was aware of limited use of the technique in some places in California, including Stanford Medical Center in Palo Alto and Community Regional Medical Center in Fresno, and by the San Antonio Fire Department in Texas.
Banner University Medical Center in Phoenix embraced the protocol last summer, said Dr. Aneesh Narang, assistant medical director of emergency medicine there.
This cold water immersion therapy is really the standard of care to treat heatstroke patients, he said.
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The First10EM monthly wrap-up for May 2024 – First10EM
The First10EM monthly wrap up is a place for me to share updates about the website, about my academic life, and also interesting content, such as books, podcasts, and other FOAMed, that I have encountered in the prior month. Obviously the format means the focus is mostly on content I have found, but I hope the community gets engaged in the comments, sharing books, podcasts, FOAMed, or anything else that you think would benefit or delight the broader emergency medicine community.
I was at the North York General Emergency Medicine Update conference this month, which is always a great time. I recorded versions of my two talks RSI and then they die and a 2024 literature update so you can watch them even if you werent at the conference:
There were a few more videos added to the First10EM YouTube channel, which is really starting to take off, so make sure to subscribe if you havent.
Managing the bleeding tracheostomy
Oral antibiotics are better than IV
You MUST know how to perform Delayed Sequence Intubation
Not exactly high end fiction, but Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros has dragons and magic, and feels a little like a melding of Hunger Games and Game of Thrones? The sex scenes might be a little smutty for some peoples taste, and the story lacks the rich politics and deeper themes of truly great fantasy novels, but if you just want a fun page turner about a young woman trying to survive magic dragon school, you will probably enjoy this.
And yes, Fourth Wing was good enough that I did read the sequel, Iron Flame, immediately afterwards. It is a trilogy, and the third book isnt out yet. That has really burned me before (I am still desperately waiting for book 3 of the The Kingkiller Chronicle 13 years after finishing the second book), so maybe be cautious if you dont like picking up unfinished sagas.
The politics of intolerance based around anthropomorphized rabbits? If that sounds like your cup of tea, then The Constant Rabbit by Jasper Fforde was a decent and somewhat humorous novel.
I might have suggested it before, but I was re-reading some chapters of Nasty, Brutish, and Short: Adventures in Philosophy with My Kids, and it is a really enjoyable and approachable book on philosophy.
I was a really busy month, so I spent very little time in the general media and FOAMed realm, but I would like to change that for next month, so if there are great podcasts, YouTube videos, or FOAMed that was recently published, please share it in the comments, so everyone can enjoy.
One of the few posts I did read was by Liz Crowe (so you know it is brilliant) on St Emlyns discussing Choosing with Intention.
I also relearned a lot of little things about physics in this Steve Mould video looking at a flame that is dark or absorbing light.
I would love some peoples thoughts on this: If potential knowledge is unlimited, but human life is distinctly limited, is the pursuit of knowledge pointless or problematic in some way? (Probably very poorly paraphrased from a number of Taoist texts. I believe the most common translation is perilous, but I am not sure what that means for my practical approach to life.)
In many ways, this adage seems antithetical to the way I lead my life. I find it interesting, and as long as one does not over-interpret it to the point of nihilism, it probably contains an important lesson. But I would really love to hear peoples thoughts.
Two men come to visit a Zen teacher to inquire about moving to his village.
The first man enters and says, I am thinking of moving to this village, how is it here? The teacher replies, Well, how is your current village? The man responds, Its terrible, I hate it there. The Zen teacher answers, This village is the same, you wont like it.
The second man enters and says, I am thinking of moving to this village, how is it here? The teacher replies, Well, how is your current village? The man responds, Its wonderful, I love it there. The Zen teacher answers, This village is the same, you will like it.
There is no such thing as philosophy free science, just science that has been conducted without any consideration of its underlying philosophical assumptions. Daniel Dennett
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Importance of Knowing How to do CPR – Cleveland Clinic Newsroom
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CLEVELAND - Its National CPR and AED Awareness Week.
If you dont know how to do CPR, now is a good time to learn.
According to the Red Cross, immediate CPR can double or triple chances of survival after a cardiac arrest.
The big thing with having a sudden cardiac arrest is it can come from drowning or just the electrical system of the heart not working, said Steven Brooks, MD, emergency medicine physician for Cleveland Clinic. And the faster you can get the blood flowing in the body to the vital organs, the better outcome youre going to have.
Dr. Books said CPR should be performed in situations where a person isnt breathing or doesnt have a pulse.
Before you get started, make sure to call 9-1-1.
Chest compressions should then be done 100 to 120 times a minute.
Mouth-to-mouth resuscitation is no longer recommended.
Dr. Brooks said AEDs can also be helpful in an emergency.
For those unfamiliar, these devices are often available in public places.
They work by analyzing the persons heart rhythm and, if necessary, deliver an electrical shock.
The instructions are right inside. Once you open up the AED, it shows you exactly where to place the pads and hit the button that says analyze, said Dr. Brooks. It will direct you to do everything. That is one of the best ways to help revive somebody that has suddencardiac arrest outside of doing just your basic CPR.It's the next step in the chain of survival.
Dr. Brooks also recommends learning how to do the Heimlich maneuver in the event someone is choking.
If their airway remains blocked for too long, they could ultimately need CPR.
All of these skills are very important to know.
Link:
Importance of Knowing How to do CPR - Cleveland Clinic Newsroom
Sporting Clays Tournament to Benefit Garnet Health Medical Center Emergency Department – Sullivan County Democrat
MIDDLETOWN Garnet Health Foundation invites all to its highly popular annual Sporting Clays Tournament, benefiting the Every Minute Counts campaign to renovate and expand Garnet Health Medical Centers emergency department.
Everyone from beginner to advanced is welcome to join in the excitement and fun taking place Friday, June 28, at Mid-Hudson Sporting Clays, 411 North Ohioville Road, New Paltz. Registration opens at 9:00 a.m., and the tournament begins at 10:00 a.m. The cost is $250 per shooter and includes 100 clays, a golf cart, shells, safety training and lunch. Gun rentals and sponsorship opportunities are also available.
Garnet Health Medical Center leads the region in access to state-of-the-art emergency care. The planned renovation will more than double the size of the emergency departmentfrom 45 treatment spaces to 100. It will also improve efficiencies while enhancing the patient experience. The expansion will increase capacity to 85,000 patient visits annually.
This fundraiser is fast becoming one of our most anticipated events of the year, and we once again thank Mid-Hudson Sporting Clays for hosting the tournament at their beautiful Hudson Valley location, said William Dauster, CFRE, Garnet Health Foundations president and chief philanthropy officer. Every 20 minutes, someone needs care in the emergency department. With our Every Minute Counts campaign, we will expand and enhance Garnet Health Medical Centers emergency department, all while confirming our promise to bring the very best in emergency medicine to the Hudson Valley region.
Those interested in participating in or sponsoring the Sporting Clays Tournament should reserve their space as soon as possible. For more information, visit garnethealth.org/sportingclays or call the foundation office at (845) 333-2333. Learn more about the foundation at garnethealth.org/foundation.
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Expanded emergency department set to open at Peconic Bay Medical Center – The Suffolk Times – Suffolk Times
Peconic Bay Medical Center held a ribbon-cutting ceremony last Thursday to celebrate its newly expanded emergency department the Poole Family Trauma and Emergency Center which is expected to be up and running next month.
This expansion transcends infrastructure and ceremonial ribbons,PBMCexecutive director Amy Loeb said in a speech at the event. It symbolizes our steadfast dedication to extending a lifeline to those in distress, ensuring that our community has access to timely and compassionate care during critical moments Our facilities must evolve in tandem with our clinical capabilities.
The emergency department which is expanding by 75% will add patient beds, increase space for specialized care and introduce new technology, including a dual-bay trauma unit, comprehensive radiology capabilities and connectivity to Northwell Healths e-ICU system and telemedicine, according to hospital officials.
PBMC chair of emergency medicine Dr. Ninfa Mehta said in an interview that the new emergency department can now provide improved stroke care, improved cardiac care for heart attacks and improved trauma care.
She said patient volume at PBMC has grown significantly in recent years.
Its one of the fastest-growing Northwell [Health] sites and definitively the fastest growing hospital on the East End, she said. So we really need the space at this point.
The center is named for Tom and Mary Jane Poole of Westhampton Beach and Garden City, who made a $5 million cornerstone donation to the $15 million medical center expansion two years ago. Also on hand for the ceremony were two of the couples adult children, Shepard Poole and Stacey Poole Lahey, and their spouses.
Long-standing benefactors of PBMC and members of this beautiful community, Tom and Mary Jane embraced the idea of expanding the emergency department with unwavering enthusiasm and then they made it happen which is what they do, Ms. Loeb said. Whether its for health care or for education, they make things happen. They go all in. They are beautiful people and amazing.
In a short speech capped by a standing ovation, Mr. Poole championed the concept of taking big swings with community philanthropy.
Gesturing to John Kanas, whose donations funded theEast End Hospice Kanas Centerin Quiogue, and more recently, astate-of-the-art simulation labat PBMC, Mr. Poole said that I think my friend John Kanas knows when you make a gift, you do it after much consultation with your family and each other Its not an easy thing when you think that youre making a sizable gift that takes away wealth from your family. And it does. You only know what giving is when it affect[s] your net worth. Everything else is penny candy in relation to that.
In a tent filled with donors, doctors, nurses and EMT crews many of them uniformed firefighters Mr. Poole applauded the local medical community.
I would like all the physicians, nurses and staff members involved with that new trauma and emergency staff to stand up and receive our applause.
He also saluted Dr. Mehta, who will oversee the expanded emergency department, and PBMCs chair of cardiology, Dr. Stanley Katz.
Then Mr. Poole turned to the dozens of emergency medical technicians on hand.
I want each EMT unit in each ambulance to stand up and take our applause.
He praised his PBMC fundraising team.
I have the good fortune to be their leader in raising money and establishing parties like these where I can congratulate myself on the nice things I do, he said with a broad grin.
Then Mr. Poole, who with his wife will celebrate their 62nd wedding anniversary this weekend, shared some personal news.
Last summer, he said, I stood before most of you in perfect health, asking you to join me in raising a lot of money to bring the vision of Peconic Bay to reality.
But five weeks ago, I had my reality test, and guess who saved my life? You got it. Peconic Bay Medical Center, Stanley Katz and so many people that work here five weeks ago today I had a triple bypass and a valve replacement. And I stand before you as a living example that the sun does shine the next morning.
Pausing while the audience absorbed the news, Mr. Poole, 83, said that the life-saving surgery changed him.
If you ever hear me complaining about one thing? Kick me in my ass.
Mr. Pooles eyes were rimmed with tears as he concluded his speech, saying that he and his family are so happy to cut the ribbon.
They know we all know if you walk in [to PBMC], you will walk out. And the sun will shine.
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