Couple in Cottage Grove inspires coworkers
On separate occasions, husband and wife come to the rescue of kids in the ED
It happened that two different situations arose in the emergency department at PeaceHealth Cottage Grove Community Medical Center, in Cottage Grove, Oregon.
Both incidents involved pediatric patients.
And both incidents called on the talents of a Bebeau.
In one, the patient had been seen in the ED. After being referred to a specialty clinic for follow-up care, the patient’s parents called a few days later, a little panicked that medical insurance wouldn’t cover the referral.
Numerous dead-end phone calls left them not knowing where to turn.
Enter Mariah Bebeau, a patient access representative with PeaceHealth’s primary care office in Cottage Grove. Despite the fact that the patient wasn’t under the care of a provider at the clinic, Mariah’s sense of compassion wouldn’t let her sit by and watch the family struggle in a complicated situation.
She looked into the matter and on behalf of the patient made several calls to both the insurance company and area specialty resources. Thanks to her persistence, Mariah was able to find an appointment that would be covered.
It took well over an hour to resolve the issue, but it was well worth the time, says Mariah, to make sure the young patient could get the care needed in a timely and affordable manner.
Oddly enough, Mariah’s husband, Todd, had also been called in to help rescue another young patient in an uncomfortable situation.
Fortunately, it didn’t take any phone calls. It just took the right tools.
A little patient’s finger was caught in a fishing reel. Todd works as a facilities engineer at the hospital. He happened to have the necessary tools on site to quickly and expertly remove the reel.
“Initially, I was asked to bring bolt cutters. When I got there, it was apparent the bolt cutters would cause the reel to jerk” so he ended up using screwdrivers of varying sizes.
Heather Lyda, RN, nurse manager, says “The ED staff was touched by Todd’s bedside manner with the young patient.”
According to their colleagues, both situations were only two examples of the way the Bebeaus use their different skills to help the entire Cottage Grove team provide loving, compassionate patient care.
