Missed appointments led to home visit and a rescue
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| Wound Healing Center nurses Lynn Strausbaugh, left, and Jacey Witmer, right, pose with patient Evelyn Ford. |
Sometimes it’s just best to trust your gut feelings. That’s what Lynn Strausbaugh and Jacey Witmer, staff nurses at the York Hospital Wound Healing Center, did. And, it probably saved 87-year-old Evelyn Ford’s life.
When Ford, a long-time patient, missed a Tuesday appointment in September, it was very unusual. Ford had been coming to the Wound Healing Center twice a week for more than five years, and she had seldom missed an appointment.
“It just didn’t seem like Evelyn,” said Witmer. “We knew she lived at home alone, and it sent up a red flag.”
The front desk called 9-1-1 to have the police check on her. The police arrived at the residence and knocked on the door. Although Ford didn’t answer, she told them through the door that she was okay.
Something still didn’t seem right to Witmer and Strausbaugh. Why didn’t Ford come to the door? Perhaps she had fallen and couldn’t get up.
When Ford missed her Friday appointment, Witmer and Strausbaugh knew they had to take action.
“We knew something had to be wrong,” stressed Strausbaugh. “We couldn’t go through the weekend wondering if there was anything wrong.”
After trying unsuccessfully to contact neighbors and relatives, the two staff nurses decided to go to Ford’s residence in Newberrytown after work.
When they arrived, Ford’s car was in the driveway and the front door was locked. They knocked on the door, and eventually Ford responded, saying she had fallen on the floor and couldn’t get up. She had been on the floor since Tuesday.
Ford told Witmer where the spare house key was. She located it and opened the door after calling paramedics. The paramedics transported Ford, who was dehydrated, to WellSpan York Hospital, where she was admitted. After a week she was discharged and admitted to Colonial Manor.
“Evelyn was extremely appreciative,” offered Witmer. “She called us her angels.”
David Williar, a paramedic with the Newberry Township Fire Department, wrote in an email, “In these times where medical personnel are constantly strained by over demand and the normal stresses of everyday life, I felt it important to take just a few moments to express my heartfelt gratitude and congratulations to these two wonderful ladies for doing the right thing, even though it was not the easy thing to do. WellSpan, the Wound Healing Center and its patients are truly blessed to have Lynn and Jacey.”
Witmer and Strausbaugh said they didn’t have any second thoughts about their actions that were “above and beyond” their job duties.
“We’re just so happy that the story had a happy ending,” said Witmer.
Witmer and Strausbaugh received the WellSpan Patient Safety Awards for their actions.