EMT

EMT
Emergency Medical Technician
THE GOOD-THE BAD-THE FUNNY- THE SAD

For several years, with Pennington Ambulance Service, located remember well at Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital in Albany, Georgia, I witnessed many terrible things. I also witnessed many good things and the kindness in many hearts of the people I came in contact with during that time.
I actually live at the hospital in a back room with several other young men named Junior and Wilber.
These are the stories, both good and bad that have stayed with me for almost seventy years.













A TYPE ABO MAN


"Is there any way I can get a cup of coffee with sugar?" asked the homeless man who was sitting in the hospitals waiting room.

Still half asleep and just coming in to work at Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital in Albany, Georgia, I waved my hand back and forth, as if to tell him to not bother me.

Entering the emergency room, I noticed Doctor McCall as he ran behind one of the many drawn blue curtains. Several nurses followed close behind.

"What's the deal?" I asked the nurse sitting behind the nurse's station.

"Car accident victim, I think," she replied, never looking up from the magazine she was reading.

I walked over to the curtain and slowly peeked inside.

That's bad, I thought, as I saw an older woman laying on an ambulance gurney, her right leg bent backwards beneath her body.

"Kiser, you wait out front and watch for Mr. Champney. He is flying in from Atlanta and should be here in about 30 minutes," said the head nurse, as she quickly pointed her finger toward the front of the hospital.

Walking toward the entrance I once again had to venture through the emergency waiting room.

"Is there any way I can get a cup of coffee with lots of sugar?" asked the dingy fellow again.

Walking into the hospital gift shop, I poured a hot cup of coffee and dumped in about a half pound of sugar. Waiting for the gentleman to arrive, I constantly watched though the large glass window as I walked back to the waiting room and handed the coffee to the man.

We knew Jeffrey; he constantly visited the hospital emergency room several times a week with one ailment or another. Just the week before he had a rectal itching problem, so we gave him a four pack of suppositories. Several hours later he returned and told us that his problem had not been relieved. When the nurse asked him if he used one of the suppositories