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I do not know how long I was out and I remember saying, upon seeing the image of two women -- "Nurse, nurse." I do not know how they got there, nor if they heard me. Possibly no voice even emanated from my mouth, but I was thinking of angels and realized I had fainted.
Only later did I discover the right side of my body was completely bruised and my skull hit whatever was in its way during the fall. I felt wet from sweat, apparently a typical physical reaction to fainting or to its aftermath.
The nurses, however, turned out to be no relation to angels. Neither helped me stand or get back into a chair. Are these trained professionals in a hospital? A layperson in the street may elect not to approach another person who fainted or was hit by a car. Imagine these two "nurses" and the care they would not provide. I see them as standing atop and laughing at the sight. Eventually one agreed to bring me some paper towels.
A beautiful, brand new hospital is a façade. If nurses, including the nurse in charge of Harry's section, are afraid to lend a helping hand to a person falling on the floor, what can or should be expected of them? Possibly this may be the difference between "socialized" medicine and private care. My doctor immediately took my call, believed the blood donation combined with exposure to the intense heat was the cause and instructed me to drink at least a liter of fluids.
Healthcare
I was in a hospital, supposedly state of the art in some respects, yet lacking the most basic element -- a human touch and expertise. A nurse who refuses help to a person in obvious distress (liability issues? or was it coverage -- possibly she thought there is not enough private coverage or that I do not have health insurance?) should rethink her career. Rather than protecting the hospital, the nurse at Kaiser may have badly exposed it to liability.
The topic of the day is healthcare reform. For healthcare to be effective, we need good doctors and nurses, not bureaucrats. Those performing their duties and extending proper health care should be afforded basic protection against frivolous lawsuits. Those who are inept or incapable should leave the profession or be discharged.
There are many qualified and dedicated nurses, but it was not my good fortune to meet one that day. If the nurse at Kaiser is any indication of the lack in our system, a major overhaul is urgently required.
Perhaps certain staff needs to repeat basic training and be reminded it is there for the sake of the patients, to help. Playing lawyers, imitating the hordes of 9-5 do-nothing-bureaucrats concerned about nothing more than their position, benefits, pension and union is not these nurses' task. Time to wake up and get back to basics, and if one does not fit, one should not be associated with one of the most noble of professions.
It was Harry, a 91-year-old, incoherent and barely able to move who regained his focus and energy and expressed concern for my wellbeing. Harry, not the nurse, was the angel for "shlichey mitzvah lo nezokim" (messengers of good deeds are not harmed). How amazing the person least capable of physical activity did more than the trained professional who wrongly elected to do nothing.
May we continue to count our blessings of health and being on this earth. May we continue to be guarded by angels, for reasons unknown, and continue to do unto others as we wish to be treated ourselves.
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