hockeymom's Blog

Can somebody explain to me why 911 won't dispatch for help if calling from a hospital?

One might shake their head at this question.  Seriously, if your in the ER or another part of the hospital it would seem like a no brainer. You can't get closer to help than the ER.

There have been two cases recently in the news that involved a death at the ER. After not receiving the help needed from the hospital staff and then being refused help by 911 they died.  In both cases 911 refused help because the patient was already in the hospital.  It seems to me that if someone calls 911 they are in need of immediate help.  If it is later determined that 911 was being abuse by an impatient patient  then give them a fine or a ticket.

About 10 yrs ago I had to pick my Aunt up at Tempe St. Lukes Hospital.  She was in another area of the hospital than the ER.    When I showed up to pick her up I learned that they had already released her,  I suddently had chest pain, my head and legs were numb and I couldn't breath.  I sat down and asked the receptionist to for help and she seriously would not help me to the ER. She pointed down the hall and said the ER was down there.  I tried to walk in the direction of the ER when I sat down in the hallway because I couldn't walk and my chest hurt.  Two people, who appeared to be staff workers, walked by me.  I sort of hollard back at them and asked for help to the ER.  Guess what? They pointed down the hall. Which to me looked like a mile away.  I thought I was having a heart attack.  I couldn't get up.  I reached for my phone and called 911.  They told me to get a staff member to help me (dee, dee, dee) .  I couldn't breath and my heart was racing and it hurt and I was told that they could not dispatch for help when already in the hospital.  I finally got to the ER and thankfully  I was having a panic attack and not a heart attack . How the heck was I suppose to know that.  I really thought I was going to die. I felt helpless that I couldn't get help. Just a little help down the hall would have been nice. 

Could you imagine, thinking you are going to die and you can't get help yet your so close to it?  Or, if one of your loved ones are suffering and dieing right in front of you and you cant' get help.  

 

 

 

The Stanley Cup Playoffs have always been "The Big Game" in our home. My husband is a die hard Red Wings Fan.  He's from Michigan.  He has Hockey in is blood. Seriously! I'm an Arizona Native and when I met my hubby I wasn't a fan of any hockey team. It took a  long time for my hubby to teach me the game, and of course I became a Red Wings Fan. Years and years passed until Arizona got an NHL team.  So I eventually became a bit conflicted. I'm an Arizona girl really wanting our team to do well. Delema! What to do? So I root for both.  My hubby says that just isn't right. But I just say "Go Red Wings, Or , Go Coyotes!" whichever applies.  And when they play each other, I just enjoy the great hits, moves and goals.

Now, the delema has moved to my son.  As many young ones do, he loves the team he's been rooting for with his dad since he was born which would be, of course, the Red Wings. However, my son is a huge Sidney Crosby fan (from the Pittsburg Penguins).He's currently reading a book about him and even has a picture of him above his bed.  Low and behold the Stanley Cup is here and Its the Penguins -vs- Red Wings.  Just before the first game he told me he had a delima. I couldn't help but giggle a little, because I knew that this day would come eventualy.  It was only a matter of time, before a hockey idol would come about from another team.  I told him he can root for both (works for me). It wasn't until the third game that he actualy started to verbally express excitment that the Penguins were doing awsome. His hockey hero playing awsome!  His dad gave him a little grief about being a trader but then acknowledged his delema. 

This particular fight to the cup has been very entertaining for me.  I just have to sit back and watch them two and Im fully entertained.  Saturdays game should be real fun.

Driving to work today I saw a school marquee sign at a valley school that I found disturbing.  It said,    

                                      BANG

                              TO THE SCHOOL. 

OK, so there is probably a kid bored out of his mind who got the bright idea to re-arrange the letters.  But this day and age,  who can tell?  So, after seeing this sign I had to ask myself, "Should I report this?"  "Is someone trying to imply something?" "Is some kid just bored?" I thought about it for awhile, but it didn't take me long to pick up the phone and call the police.  I mean, God forbid anything really were to happen. 

 I spoke to a very friendly police officer and he took down all the information.,Then he told me that he will make note to it and " if " anything were to happen they would have my report on file. Then he suggested that I call the school and inform them. I have already been trying to get ahold of the school.  Of course its spring break so nobody is answering the phone and there is no way to leave a message. 

Ok, so I've done my job.  But why is it that I don't feel like its enough? What should I expect?  I guess I wanted the police officer to tell me they would have a squadren of police officers investigate. 

And thats all it takes! Just a second.

Anyone who has lived in the Valley is aware of the drowings that occur all year long.  I personally have seen the first hand devistation with 3 different children all under the age of three who have died from drownings.  I have also pulled a two year old out of the water when I saw her at the bottom of the pool.  Due to my experiences, I have become a finatic about water safety.   So hope you all don't mind if I ask all the pool owners out there a few questions. 

Are you CPR certified?  If not, please make that a priority.  If its been awhile, please take a refreasher course.

Are the doors and windows leading to the pool area armed with alarms?  If not, you can go to Home Depot and by the alarms.  Remember that the alarms should not have an "off" switch.  If you do have the alarms, are they working properly?

Are your gate latches working properly?

Are there any holes that your dog may have dug up trying to get to the other side of the fence or gate?  A small curious child could crawl under and wander right in to your back yard pool.

Can you see the bottom of your pool? Never let your pool get so bad that you can't see the bottom of your pool.

Thank you for taking the time.  I will be writing a blog next week about general water saftey tips, such as, counting heads at pool parties. It was head counting that made me go to the edge of the pool, where I saw the little girl at the bottom of the pool. It was that tip, that thinking, that saved that little girls life.

Do you have any tips you would like me to include in my blog?

 

I thought that Tom Petty was awsome at the Superbowl Half-time Show.  I really enjoyed listening to some good live classic rock-n-roll.  Songs that even my 11 yr. old son enjoyed.  His music is timeless.   And the whole show was simple, but cool to look at and listen to.  I hope you all got a chance to watch.  If he comes to the Valley for a concert, I'm gonna go.

All day long I saw and heard the jets flying about.  I think they are fighter jets maybe F16's.  Sooooo impressive!  Probably out patroling the skies due to the Superbowl this weekend.  There is just something about the noise that makes me run outside in search of this jet I'm hearing.  I got a glimpse twice today and I seriously got goosebumps.  There is just something about the military jets that just makes me feel so American. 

God Bless The USA

Have you heard about the 10 year old girl who is being charged with a weapons felony charge for bringing a steak knife to school? 

This little girl had brought her lunch to school.  She brought leftover steak with her and a steak knife to cut it with.  Now, Surely  she wasn't thinking, I'm going to bring a weapon to school today. She was thinking,  I need to bring a steak knife so I can cut my steak.  On the otherhand, shouldn't she have known better?  I asked my son tonight if he knew that bringing something like that to school was not safe and against the rules, and he said yes and that his school explains very well what is not allowed in school.  I would hope that would be the same in all the schools.  But I am just not sure that charges should be so harsh.  Her intention was not criminal.  She did break the rules though, and she should be held accountable.  Maybe something along the lines of  suspension and a letter of apology to the school and a weapons safety class for minors .(Do they have a class like that?)  It would also be a good time for schools  to refresh all the students on what is not allowed on school property. 

Whats your Opinion? 

 

 

 

 

 

Most of us can't wrap our minds around the idea of someone forgetting their child in a car.  I certainly can't.  But its happening all over the country. 

There is a devise, as i have mentioned in other blogs, that would prevent such a thing from happening.  Go to nasa.gov and search the site for Child Presence Sensor and it will give you more information about this devise.  I think its important enough information for me to post this.

Sure it seems insane that someone needs a devise to keep them from forgetting thier child.  But whatever, the devise is out there and people need to know about it.

 

 

Four drownings this week! This makes me so sad. Just to think of who those children were and who they were to become are now gone because of a preventable tragidy. Families are now going to have to live with this horrible reality of thier childrens death knowing it didn't have to happen.

I dont know the circumstances to each of these drownings and Im not here to judge anyone. My heart goes out to all of the victims of these tragic drownings.

I was at a house party over the weekend and a little girl got out of site of her parents. As they went through the house and asked around to others if anybody had seen her, I asked "Did you check the pool?" the response was, "She wouldn't be in the pool area." I immediatly went to the pool and thank god she wasn't in there. The point is, if you have a pool and your looking for one of the kids, PLEASE, ALWAYS CHECK THE POOL FIRST!!

Another bit of advise, count heads at pool parties. Know exactly how many little ones are there. And keep counting those heads til the party is over.

And if you leave your kids with someone else make sure that person is responsible enough to take on the time consuming task of watching the kids around water.