To the Editor,

Last Friday morning, we found my mother collapsed on the floor of her home in Bath. After a quick evaluation by my wife, we called 911. The dispatcher determined our needs and decided the Broad Creek EMT unit was the best unit for our situation.

The dispatcher was efficient and correct. The EMTs arrived quickly, calmed us all down, assessed the situation and quickly had my mother on the way to the Vidant emergency room in Washington. The EMTs were professional and caring in every way. In the emergency room, Dr. Kitch confirmed the low-blood pressure and pulse were due to my month’s heart arrhythmia. Within a few minutes, a transfer was arranged to the heart tower at Vidant in Greenville. Again, our family was treated professionally and in a caring manner by all the employees in the emergency room.

The transfer team and the move to the heart tower was seamless. Electronic documentation gave all medical practitioners the information they need to do their jobs. The doctors and nurses in the tower are the best. We had their personal attention from the beginning.

While we have a ways to go and the future is uncertain, this medical incident could have had a totally different outcome had it not been for a number of Beaufort County heroes. Thanks to Derik Davis and many other activists, local support was rallied for the Vidant partnership. Even with obvious advantages and overwhelming local support, a majority of the county commissioners still voted to align with an outside healthcare provider. It was at this time that James Russel Boyd stepped up and filed an injunction against a deal that was definitely not in the county’s best interest. The CHS deal collapsed and the rest is history.

Heroes take personal risks and don’t do what they do for thanks or gratitude, but I would like to thank Al Klemm, Jay McRoy, James Russel, Derik and all the others who persevered and made the Vidant partnership a reality. Thanks to the, the citizens of Beaufort County are partnered with the premier healthcare provider in eastern North Carolina.

 

Jack Piland

Bath