“That’s right. I’m more than aware that we’re not caterin’ for all of the community’s needs right now. And I’ve secured the commitment of the powers at be to receive the funds to at least go some way toward fixin’ the shortfall,” she explains.
“Find themostimportant services needed and suggest ways to provide them, that’s what Uncle George said.”
A proud smile curves her lips. “That’s right. Ultimately, we want to reduce the need for so many of our patients to travel hundreds of miles when we could treat them here. The other side of the coin is to improve communication between services to stop patients bein’ missed.”
My brain is already racing with ideas. “Stop people falling through the cracks so they don’tneedspecialist care in the city.ThatI can do.”
“I have no doubt you can, Blair. That’s why you’re here. Not just to allow George to take his well overdue long service leave,” she adds.
“And the timeframe for me to report my findings and recommendations is still six months?”
She nods. “I’m thinkin’ we’ll meet at the halfway mark so you can share your preliminary findings with me, but please know that my door will always be open for you. My hope is that after three months, you should have a pretty clear idea of the direction we need to go.”
“I think that could work,” I reply with a smile.
“Good. Now, tell me. George said you were stayin’ up at Cooper Ranch. Are you all settled in?”
“I am, thank you. The Cooper family has been very welcoming. I even met the town’s mayor yesterday at lunch,” I tell her.
“Yes, Pete. He’s a good man and he’s been a very loyal servant to this town. He’s also glad that you’re here to work on this project,” she says. “Without his help, we wouldn’t have the support of the state’s health department to push this along.”
My lips tip up on the side. “It’s always good to have the local politicians in your corner.”
“That it is.”
“OK, well I think I’ve got a clear understanding of what it is you want me to do. Now I think I better get down to the ER to start my shift. Wouldn’t want to be late on my first day,” I say, rising to my feet.
Tabitha winks at me and stands as well, reaching over to shake my hand again. “I think yourbosswill be lenient, just this once. I’m lookin’ forward to workin’ with you, Blair.”
“I can’t wait to get started.” And I find that after I’ve said the words, I actually mean them.
I honestly had no idea what to expect working in the ER of a small Alaskan hospital, but now that my first week is done and dusted, I’m not regretting my decision to come here one bit.
It’s so different from what I have been doing, but in many ways, I think it’s exactly what I needed. It’s grassroots primary care, something I haven’t done for years.
My first patient was a lovely old lady who’d pricked herself with a nasty rose bush and needed a wound clean up along with a couple of stitches, a tetanus shot, and a listening ear so she could complain about her neighbor’s cat doing her business inher garden. My last one today was a farmer who’d got his foot stomped on by a pregnant cow and lived to tell the tale. He even promised to name her calf after me when it was born.
What I liked most was that the work was steady, the pace a lot like the emergency rotation I completed years ago when I was an intern. It’s been interesting and refreshing. No case has been the same, yet it all required the knowledge and skills I’d learned and perfected over the past fifteen years.
Just as I reach the front doors of the hospital to leave, I hear my name called from behind me.
I stop and turn, surprised to see Sutton jogging to catch up with me.
“Hey. You’re here late,” I say.
“Had a session run long and figured I’d catch up on paperwork.” We make our way toward the parking lot. “How was your day?”
“Good. I was just thinking how much I’ve enjoyed it so far.”
His brows jump. “You sayin’ you’veenjoyedworkin’ five shifts straight in the ER?” He reaches up and touches the back of his fingers to my forehead, a wave of heat washing over me as he pulls his hand back. “Nope. You’re not runnin’ a fever. That must mean you’re delirious.”
“Ha ha,” I reply sarcastically. “I just mean it's different.”
“Yeah,” he nods. “I can see that, actually. For me, it’s not that the work is different but the perspective of my patients.”
“What do you mean?”
“The worries and problems in the city aren’t the same as in Timber Falls. The conditions are the same, but the effect they have on the patients can be very different.”
