Letter: Teamwork helps save life

The reason for my letter is to tell you about an incident which happened in front of Fremont Medical Center Oct. 27. Although the incident was unfortunate, it made me very proud to be among the dedicated professionals who work at Fremont-Rideout Health Group.

Late that afternoon, a young man collapsed near the front steps of Fremont, and went into cardiac arrest. I am the chief medical officer and was called to assist, but before I got there, a team had assembled and started caring for the patient. The nursing staff had brought out a crash cart, started IVs and ACLS meds, respiratory therapy was managing the airway, security was on scene directing traffic, first responders and Bi-county were just pulling up, doctors and more nurses responded, lab was present, and the overall response was tremendous.

The entire staff reacted in a calm, professional manner on the sidewalk in plain view of the public, and provided the best care I could hope for, but too many people contributed to be able to single out individuals. After prolonged code resuscitation, the patient stabilized enough to be able to be transported to the Rideout emergency department, and he was admitted to the hospital for further care.

I am pleased to say that acting as a team, Fremont Rideout Health Group saved a life and I hope they are all around some day if I need help.

Robert Plass, MD

Fremont Rideout Health Group

Chief medical officer