Atrium Medical Center.
It's the second-largest hospital in Georgia, with Grady Hospital in Atlanta being the largest.
It's in Macon, Georgia. You know...the small town of 157,000 that Jason Aldean grew up in. In fact, near the hospital, there is a small road or path or crosswalk that is called Jason Aldean Way. Seriously. The number of people employed by the hospital alone is 4,600 - more than the total population of REAL small towns.
With a hospital that large, you're going to have some bureaucracy. Not everyone is going to be speaking from the same page at the same time. We had to run through some contradictions even just to see Benjamin (read the blog story Benjamin Takes A Break). He's here...he's not here...you can't see him - he's in observation...whoops...he is here...and you can see him. Different people, different answers.
This is not to be overly critical of the hospital. People can be well-meaning and kind and still not have the best information or the means and speed to help.
But I will credit Atrum for this...both the emergency room and his recovery room had one nurse who seemed to be as much a patient advocate, much more than just somebody to take vitals and bring bedpans.
I didn't catch the name of the guy in the ER, but he was kind and funny and helped address the needs of Benjamin and his confused and worried parental units. He kept us informed and helped bring the right people to tell us what was going on.
Then, we were moved to the main part of the hospital, where he would be taken for surgery and brought back to recover.
It was July 29th. And that's when the miracle occurred. She came in and signed her name on a whiteboard in the room. She wrote her name, August, and her contact number.
Never in my life have I seen a nurse as kind and as attentive. She explained everything that was going on. She brought Benjamin whatever he needed, and even Alison and myself.
Most importantly, as Alison and I would hear different things from different people, she would cut through the red tape and get us the needed answers.
The hospital was a labyrinth to get around. We asked how to get to a nearby Dominos, and she walked us through the hospital maze to the street where Dominos was at.
I don't know if Atrium has really structured their staff to include an ally/advocate, but if they have, my hats off to them - it's the best thing I've ever seen a hospital do.
If they haven't - then you need to do so. August arrived early and saved the day.
Our healthcare system is a mess - expensive and inefficient, terribly hard on anyone not swimming in money and/or superior health insurance. Having caring human beings advocating for patients would at least mitigate some of the rough edges.
Let August lead the way.
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