Immanuel Goes the Extra Mile

Last fall (2008) my Dad became very ill.  He was in a rural hospital in Storm Lake, IA and just kept getting worse.  The doctor came to my Mom and told her that he needed to be transferred to a bigger hospital that may be better equipped to help him.  Mom called me and asked for my opinion - Dad was paralyzed and she wanted him to go to the best place possible.

I work for CHI Health and was on my way to a meeting with all of the CNEs at that time.  Although my Dad was not on the proposed agenda for the meeting, they immediately asked me pertinent information to assist me in making my decision and collectively advised me to bring him to Immanuel.  Their compassion was wonderful.  They then helped me put an action plan together.  I called Dr. Anthony Hatcher, who is my personal doctor and he agreed to have Dad admitted under his name.  Dee, an Immanuel employee worked with the hospital to have everything waiting for his arrival.  Dr. Hatcher got a hold of Dr. Frank Mezzacappa and got him to agree to examine Dad and was literally waiting for my Dad as he came through the door.

My Dad was very ill and after 7 weeks he passed away.  But the compassion shown to him, my family and myself throughout the process still brings tears to my eyes.  Never did we feel like an employee, a patient, a number or a bother, but instead we felt like family to everyone - the Immanuel family truly cared for us.  There are so many examples of ways people went above and beyond during our stay that there simply is not enough space to list them. We will never be able to thank the team on the PINS unit, the doctors, and every single person who touched our lives throughout his stay enough.  Sometimes people just don't make it - but if we can take them and their families down that final path with dignity and respect, than we have more than done our jobs.  With my Dad, CHI Health more than did her job.

-Deanna