Saturday, May 24, 2014

Ignore



It happens all the time in the world of trauma – we take care of people that most would rather ignore. 

Somewhere in the depths of this city a cycle of gang-related violence led to the death of several innocent women and children.  The suspected murderer was the target of a police raid, and when that raid got violent his motionless body came into our trauma center.  His airway was controlled, his brain was scanned, his pressures were normalized…within a week he was finally talking, and within two weeks was read to leave. 

This patient was under police custody, and so there were guards outside his room.  Armed guards.  And it was always odd walking past them to see our patient.  It felt a little like we were crossing a picket-line.  The police exist to protect us, or so we’re told, and here we were trying to take care of someone they were trying to put away.  We literally had to ask them to step aside so we could see our patient.  They would always look at us as we entered his room, and if to ask us why we were taking the time.  One day the guard was looking down at the patient’s mug shot – the guard was smiling and shaking his head, saying how he’d “been looking for this one for years.”  I remember being struck by the word “years.”  The patient was only a teenager – how long could the police have been searching for him?  More recently when we exited his room and the door closed, the guard uttered “I don’t know how you all do it; this is a really bad guy – really bad.” 

If I told you what this patient had done, and why the police cared so much about it, I’m willing to bet that you would agree that he did something absolutely terrible.  The worst, repulsive thing imaginable.  But we had no choice.  He was our patient, and we’re under oath to take care of people, just as the police are under oath to protect and serve.  There’s just no other option.  Patients are patients, people in need are people in need.  It’s rather simple, really.    

And so there we found ourselves each day, police and doctors, looking at each other with vastly different motives.  I’m not certain if there was mutual respect or not. 

Our patient improved, and was discharged – to jail.  What his fate will be is uncertain – I suppose it’ll be in the news one day soon.  Or maybe it’ll just go ignored

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