Fingerprinted!
I was fingerprinted yesterday, not necessitated by any criminal activity on my part, but by an unexpected and unnerving encounter with a crackhead. I hear your thoughts…”where’s Eva headed with this?”. I own a handgun - a few, in fact. I keep one in my car and two in my home; and now I intend to carry a concealed weapon with me. This isn’t an impulsive, not well thought out decision on my part. I’ve been target shooting since the age of 19 (yes, it’s been quite a few years), I’ve completed a Gun Safety and Rape Survival class, and 3 Firearm Safety classes before coming to this point.
It was a Monday morning two weeks ago. I’d backed into a parking space and was gathering name badge, backpack, and all the other acoutrements necessary for a 12-hour ER shift. I was in a good mood, listening to the last chorus of a favorite Alabama Shakes tune and I saw the black pickup truck slowly pass in front of my car; then I saw it back up and block my car. Immediately I recognized all 6 feet and 300 pounds of Mr. Crackhead (name changed to protect the not-so-innocent and to comply with HIPAA laws) as he climbed out of the truck. Mr. Crackhead and I go back a bit. We’ve been through the near daily visits and lame medical complaints trying to wear the ER docs down for pain meds and past the regular admonishments about the health hazards of crack cocaine use, all the way to the searing tongue lashing from me for getting his girlfriend’s child to pee in a cup for his drug screen. Our last encounter had been an unpleasant one. On this morning, Mr. C got out of his truck, crossed his arms over his chest and leaned on the sidewall of his truckbed, just staring at me. He wasn’t going anywhere and neither could I. I couldn’t leave my car without walking into him and I couldn’t pull away in my car. I was trapped. I called into the ER asking for security to be dispatched to my car and within minutes of him realizing I was calling for help he sped away. David Rasberry, one of my ER colleagues, came to the car and walked with me into the building. On the walk in I learned that David had been hit in the mouth by a psych patient during his night shift and had a busted lip as evidence of the encounter.
Mine isn’t a unique story; all of the ER staff, including the Unit Secretary who’s been slapped, has been threatened, physically abused or intimidated by a patient, family member or “withem”. An irate patient once drove through the glass doors leading to the ambulance bay because he was mad at the ER physician. I’m told that the door on my first office at Touro was bullet-proof, granted that was a post-Katrina era, but sitill cause for thought. Fortunately the “bullet-proofness” was never tested during my tour at the Touro in New Orleans. Many of us have been slapped, kicked, scratched, spit on, threatened, bullied, fondled, had poop thrown at us, been spat on and cornered. Several of my EMS and LEO friends like to remind me of the patient who threatened to hit me so hard I’d have to press my Life Alert button. I got pissed, then contemplative, then laughed at that one. Gotta recognize the quick wit along with the disrespectful insolence of that 14-year old.
The Emergency Room is no place for sissies, probably not a place for 119 pound old ladies either, but I digress. As I was saying, ER is a dangerous place. Chris Icamina, Mike Voigt, and I unknowingly pulled a paralyzed gun shot wound victim out of a drive-by shooter’s truck one day. I’m up in the back seat trying to help get a spine board underneath the victim while Chris and Mike pull the board onto the stretcher; meanwhile the driver of the truck is yelling at us to “Hurry up! Get him outta here! Hurry Up!” and I’m yelling back for him to “Shut up! We’re going as fast as we can!” Shortly after we get the GSW victim into a trauma bed, I learn that the driver of the truck was also the drive-by shooter who blasted a hole in a young woman’s face. This isn’t an isolated incident; I’ve come back from an offsite lunch meeting to find a crime scene taped off on the entrance in front of the lobby - more drive-by repercussions. The whole waiting room cleared out one day after two men with kerchiefs over their faces dropped a GSW victim onto the floor of the lobby and ran. Like I’ve said, ER isn’t for the faint of heart.
According to Alexia Campbell in The Atlantic Daily, there’s been a 110% increase in violence against nurses in the ER over the past decade. I believe that the opioid addicted desperate for pain pills and angered at being Lortab-deprived can be and have been threats to the ER staff, as are the patients crazed from the use of dangerous new synthetics. The lack of behavioral health beds and outpatient behavioral health continuing care for mental patients add to the violence factor. Add these along with the already recognized problems of domestic disputes, and gang violence and the ER becomes a hotbed for disaster.
It gives me a little comfort to know that Governor Jindal signed House Bill 1077 into law a while back making it a felony to physically attack emergency department personnel. Included in the definition of physical attack is the act of spitting, throwing feces, blood or urine. (Yes that happens.) HOWEVER….this means nothing to the psych patient as he swings away at you or to the Mojo-crazed man who’s throwing an IV pole. What makes a difference in these scenarios is to have law enforcement personnel working in security roles. I’ve worked in hospitals in which Security officers are unarmed and appear to be prepared to do little more than help you scream, and actually stand back as you call for police support. It’s time for hospitals to protect their employees, especially those on the front line of danger. It’s also time for nurses to report assault and battery - it’s not just part of the job.
So yes, I will carry a weapon when and where it’s legal to do so. I understand the ramifications and responsibilities of doing so. Hopefully there won’t be another situation like that with Mr. C, but I refuse to be a victim.
Post script: To date, Mr. C hasn't been back to the ER and I believe my friends at RPD had something to do with that. They're always quick to respond to calls for assistance and I'm grateful to them for that. I'm also grateful for Rocky Smith's training and assistance with the concealed weapon permit. Muchas gracias, merci, and danke schoen!
“A clever person solves a problem. A wise person avoids it”