“Code Purple to room 30,” the overhead speaker announced, as security personnel rushed past me to the back area of the emergency department where

The ER has become a sanctuary for society’s unmet needs

submited by
Style Pass
2023-01-27 18:30:15

“Code Purple to room 30,” the overhead speaker announced, as security personnel rushed past me to the back area of the emergency department where the wails were coming from. The pediatric emergency fellow and I followed them at a quick clip. There, on the floor, in orange scrubs, barefoot with hands and knees to the floor, sobbing desperately, was a teenager in distress.

This patient had just arrived to our ED, dropped off by the police after her family member had called them to the residence for an altercation. After some gentle coaching by the phenomenal security folks, she was coaxed back into her room, where we found her, curled in the bed, arms grasping her bent knees, a terrified expression on her face. We sat down and started talking, introducing ourselves by our first names, making sure there was time for plenty of quiet attention, trying in small ways to gain her trust. In our brief conversation, many themes emerged: Concerns about poverty, hunger, intergenerational trauma, sexual abuse and trafficking, and a likely first-time psychotic episode. Her greatest concern was for the safety of her siblings.

By the end of our conversation, she assured us that she felt safe and wanted to stay in her room for further evaluation and treatment. She asked for food and a blanket, and we were happy to oblige these simple requests. As I exited the room, I thought again, as I had thousands of times before, about how glad I was that this child was brought here, instead of juvenile detention. That someone recognized this was a child in crisis, dealing with a history of multiple traumas, and not simply a violent person in need of being locked up. That they brought her instead to the one place they knew would try to hear her story and help her.

Leave a Comment