When Time Matters
“If it wasn’t for their skill set at Grand View, I wouldn’t be here.”
The scariest part of trauma is that it can happen to anyone, at any time. Take it from Don and Beth, who learned firsthand that something you have easily done many times can go awry, leaving your life in serious jeopardy.
On a brisk day last October, Don Schild (67) went outside to split firewood using his log splitter. When a log struck him in the chest, his wife insisted that he let her drive him to Grand View.
“It hit me in the left side and drove me about five feet to the ground,” said Don. “I could not breathe.”
“I just said get in the car. I’m going to take you to the emergency room,” recalled Don’s wife Beth.
Upon arrival at Grand View Hospital, Don was immediately evaluated and recognized as a trauma patient. Fortunately for Don and his family, Grand View Health’s trauma program was in place, and he received lifesaving care to overcome his internal injuries.
“He developed a blood collection around the kidney, and we could see that he was still actively bleeding,” said Forest Fernandez, MD, Medical Director, Grand View Trauma Center. “We knew that we needed to do something to stop that bleeding.”
Like many other trauma patients at Grand View, Don got another chance at life – a chance that might not have been possible without the local access to high quality trauma care. Arriving within the “golden hour” after an injury is truly critical, making the difference in recovery through early intervention. “The nurse told Beth that the proper procedure would have been to call an ambulance with an injury like that, and by law they have to take you to the closest trauma center,” explained Don. “I would not have made it.”
When a hospital like Grand View becomes a Level II Trauma Center, everyone in the community benefits from the high level of on-site expertise. Our trauma surgeons, who are in the hospital 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, are ready to care for critically injured patients like Don at a moment’s notice. When the pavilion is completed, your family will benefit from an expanded Emergency Department with 28 treatment rooms and three trauma bays.
“I am just so happy that they were there when we needed them.” – Beth S.
Watch the video of Don and Beth’s story.