[Scan-DC] Jumped / Fell from Washington Adventist Pkg Garage

[Joe Bradley]

Without having heard the call, this is only a guess but several things may have combined possibly make this occur. first off note that Washington Adventist is unique in that they are the only hospital in Montgomery County that does open heart surgery (so not just cath lab stuff but also cardiac bypass) and they do have a helipad on the roof, however their ER is very small, they get overwhelmed very quickly and are often one of the 1st hospitals to go on Yellow Diversion (ER has more patients than they are able to keep up with) and/or Red diversion (all of the cardiac monitored beds in the hospital are full). Then also know that it is hospital policy at both Shady Grove and Washington Adventist hospital that they do not respond to emergency calls on the exterior grounds of their hospitals - they are just not set up for it. 

They do however have an excellent relationship with the fire dept as 2 firehouses are less than 3 miles from their campus (Sta 1 - Silver Spring with paramedic Engine, Paramedic Ladder Truck, Medic unit and ambulance AND Station 2 - Takoma Park with Paramedic Engine. Paramedic Truck and ambulAnce) and their helipad is quite busy either receiving cRdiac patients for open heart or sending them out - both usually by medstar Helo (Washington hospital center. So poss scenario could be fire rescue responded for one to go boom from a signifiNt height, wash adv does not have the capability to handle that type of patient, PT is priority 1 multi system trauma including head chest orthopedic and spinal trauma - a ground transport might hurt the patient more than help considering the quality of roads in that area - medstar comes there all the time anyway and they have a helipad - so that's how they went.

But that's all just a guess since I didn't hear the cal and I wasn't there.


Joe Bradley
(240) 793-2431


> On Nov 30, 2013, at 21:37, Doug Kitchener <oldsdoug at yahoo.com> wrote:
> 
> Alan just posted on fb that a woman jumped or fell from the top of the parking garage at Washington Adventist Hospital in Takoma Park MD... and apparently was _flown_ (_not_ taken by ground) to Medstar (Irving Street NW DC), less than 5 miles away... can anyone shed any light on why she was flown rather than taken by ground?  That seems really odd to me, waiting for a helo, etc.  One would assume that there was possibly some sort of initial treatment at WAH (although not necessarily), but again, why not go by ground?
> 
> (I have heard EMS calls for people who have fallen in hospital parking lots...)
> 
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