April 17, 2010
Undoubtedly She Speaks Geomet and That's What Matters
Over at Rescuing Providence, as is his wont, EMT blogger Michael Morse reports on an interesting rescue call.
Called to the local high school for a female having difficulty breathing. Arrive on scene to find the female lying in the nurses office, on the couch hyperventilating. I learned that she is a Geometry teacher who had an argument then suffered an anxiety attack. Apparently, the principal and the teacher were discussing a language problem. The kids an this district are a mix of Black, Hispanic and white. Some of the kids couldn’t understand what the teacher was trying to teach.“Well then,” I said under my breath, “How are we supposed to teach kids who can’t speak English?”
We put the teacher on the stretcher and wheeled her to the rescue. She had calmed down by this time but had difficulty answering simple questions.
Overdose? Stroke? Change of Mental Status?
0-3. She didn’t speak English. The Geometry didn’t speak English. THE GEOMETRY TEACHER DIDN’T SPEAK ENGLISH!
I think the world has gone mad.
No, not the world, The United States of America has gone mad.
I think I’m having an anxiety attack. Somebody better call 911.
This is an excellent illustration of what Leftist "multiculturalism" combined with teachers union self-dealing has done to Rhode Island.
(Michael, my scorn for the NEA and AFT is specific to those corrupt, politicized unions, and is not meant to cast aspersions on the IAFF or any industrial union.)
Posted by: BobN at April 17, 2010 9:11 AM... and compounding the situation is that we also had to incure the cost of the EMT response because of this ridiculous event! Unbelievable!
Posted by: AndyM at April 17, 2010 10:21 AMAnxiety attacks aren't life-threatening. You should have just left her on a couch.
Posted by: Dan at April 17, 2010 10:26 AMSi se puede tenure!
Posted by: Ragin' Rhode Islander at April 17, 2010 12:52 PMWe can't leave her on the couch.
"Any person who calls 911 for any reason and wants to be taken to a an emergency room will be transported."
Providence Fire Department policy.
Posted by: michael at April 17, 2010 12:53 PMBetter have billed her insurance big time. And I mean bill for everything. Start a line so it can be an ALS transport and twice the cost. Use three non-rebreathers. Give her a bottle of water and charge her Disney prices for it...
On second thought - the taxpayers and the taxpayers only are going to pick up the cost for this loser so don't do any of that...
Posted by: Bob at April 17, 2010 1:14 PM"We can't leave her on the couch.
"Any person who calls 911 for any reason and wants to be taken to a an emergency room will be transported."
Providence Fire Department policy"
Damn. A good argument for private fire departments. I want to buy a plan where they leave people like that on the couch.
Posted by: Dan at April 17, 2010 1:53 PMThe more "esl". or similar, teachers we require, the more jobs. Why do I suspect the NEA cheers this.
"Leave her on the couch" A dangerous return to the past here. It wasn't so long ago that patients brought by ambulance from impoversihed districts were turned away form hospitals because of "no room" and sent to another hospital. This continued until they died. Ah, the good old days. The reference I make is specific to Miami, I am sure they didn't originate the idea.
Posted by: Warrington Faust at April 17, 2010 6:57 PM Having a teacher in the classroom who doesn't speak English is ridiculous.
Blame whoever hired her. And I don't think the union is in charge of hiring.
Dan, that makes absolutely no sense at all.
Rhody, I thought the same thing. The city administration is so focused on "multiculturalism" they have lost sight of reality. The union didn't hire this lady, the city did.
Warrington, our EMS system, and the ER's as well are on the verge of collapse. If you ever get the urge to read more check out my musings, www.rescuingprovidence.com. I will warn you in advance, the blog is a bit bi-polar, I write when inspired by something, sometimes with little or no sleep and never rewrite or spend more than ten or twenty minutes writing a post.
And please, if anybody does visit, I try very hard to keep it a-political. Torture me here if you feel you must.
Posted by: michael at April 17, 2010 8:45 PMLeave her on the couch.
Damn. A good argument for private fire departments.
Private fire department, private ambulance company, it wouldn't matter. No matter who I worked for, I'm not putting my medical license and career on the line on the ASSumption that there's nothing wrong with this woman. If you're hysterical, making no sense, and I can't communicate with you, you're going to the hospital.
And there's not a private company anywhere that would accept the liability of doing otherwise.
Posted by: EMT at April 18, 2010 2:21 PMIf you're hysterical, making no sense, and I can't communicate with you, you're going to the hospital.By that standard, there's a few Anchor Rising commenters you may feel it necessary to transport...
Posted by: Andrew at April 18, 2010 2:25 PM
Well put, Andrew.
Posted by: BobN at April 19, 2010 10:44 AM