The Dole VA Medical Center in Wichita is recognizing the actions of three staff members in saving the life of a Veteran who had a medical emergency in the facility’s parking lot.
VA officials said this happened November 17th when Cathy Tullis went to the facility to pick up a family member. She saw someone lying face down near the parking lot and jumped out of her car to check on him. She found him unresponsive and she ran into the building to get help.
Transportation Assistant Kristine Davis went outside and then two nurses from the Quality Management department saw them and came to help. They started CPR and continued until the hospital’s rapid response team arrived. The man responded with a pulse and began breathing again. Sedgwick County EMS and a Wichita Fire Department crew got the man to the emergency room of the hospital, and he was stabilized before being transferred to another facility. The man was awake and talking before the transfer, which was a good sign after going through cardiac arrest.
Medical Center Director Michael Payne said “We are very proud of the heroic actions taken by our staff last week. We get high marks and ratings for the care we provide to our Veterans, but nothing says ‘we care’ like rushing into the parking lot to save a person’s life.”
[ photo: (L-R) RN Lacey Vogts, Transportation Specialist Kristine Davis, and RN Jessica Raub quickly responded to a call for assistance in the parking lot of Robert J. Dole VA Medical Center on Friday, Nov. 17. ]
