No Longer Alone
Aug 15, 2022
Each Wednesday, 网曝门事件 Health Portland chaplains meet to reflect on the week 鈥� how it鈥檚 going and what lies ahead. This week, one chaplain broke down in tears.
A young woman had been in the hospital for three days as a Jane Doe. She had arrived by ambulance after being found unresponsive and possibly overdosed in a Portland street. Passersby called 911 and attempted CPR.
The woman was estimated to be about 21 years old. The care management team reached out to Diana Erdmann, 网曝门事件 Health Portland nursing director, when their attempts to identify the Jane Doe patient had not produced any leads.
鈥淢y heart was heavy at the thought of this young woman not having loved ones around her during this time,鈥� Erdmann shares. She reached out to Dr. Terry Johnsson, mission integration executive, and asked him to leverage his community connections and knowledge to help them identify the Jane Doe.
Dr. Johnsson gathered all the information he could about where the patient had been found. He drove to the area and started canvassing homeless camps and businesses.
After visiting about seven camps, Dr. Johnsson finally caught a break. Someone at a nearby gas station knew the name the woman went by and where her camp was. There Dr. Johnsson found the woman鈥檚 community 鈥� and discovered she was actually a teenager.
Due to the patient鈥檚 age, she was immediately transferred to , part of OHSU Health along with 网曝门事件 Health Portland. Doernbecher has a team to help connect runaways with their families, and they went to work right away getting hold of the girl鈥檚 family. Soon, the former Jane Doe was surrounded by loved ones.
Dr. Johnsson visited the patient the next day and met her father. 鈥淵ou are an answer to my prayer, 鈥楧on鈥檛 let my baby die alone in the streets.' 鈥�
The patient鈥檚 prognosis isn鈥檛 certain. But whatever happens next, she is no longer alone. Erdmann, Dr. Johnsson, and the many chaplains and nurses involved, that is mission in action.
鈥淓very now and then, you鈥檙e going to feel a little tug in your heart to do something special for a patient,鈥� Dr. Johnsson says. 鈥淲e need to just listen to that voice. That can be the change for someone.鈥�
