Fort Bliss Monitor

WBAMC Emergency
25 years of saving lives

STORY AND PHOTOS BY CLARENCE DAVIS III
WILLIAM BEAUMONT ARMY MEDICAL CENTER
PUBLIC AFFAIRS

Sgt. Carlton V. Bell, combat medic, enters a patient’s information into the EKG machine.

Emergency medicine began as a specialty more than 25 years ago. According to an American College of Emergency Physicians release, more than 110 million people seek care in the emergency department annually in the United States. Records show that there is an average of 43,800 visits annually to the William Beaumont Army Medical Center emergency department.

Emergency medicine is America’s health care safety net because emergency physicians, nurses and ancillary staff treat patients 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Their patients range from the very ill to severely injured trauma patients fighting for their lives.

The release continues to say that procedures physicians developed on the battlefield during the Korean Conflict and the Vietnam War were recognized as being useful in saving thousands of American lives in local hospitals annually. These physicians recognized the importance of timely triage and the advantages of providing treatment during the critical first minutes after an injury or acute illness.

Capt. Johnny Dennis, RN, explains the operation of the Bear warmer to Pvt. Jennifer M. McDougald, combat medic.

On Aug. 16, 1968, eight physicians meeting in Lansing, Mich., made a commitment to improve the quality of emergency care by setting standards for educating and training physicians for the treatment of emergency cases.

Another milestone in emergency was when Congress passed the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act in 1985. The act mandates that all patients who come to the emergency department must be given a medical screening examination and be stabilized regardless of their ability to pay or insurance coverage.

Lt. Col. John Garr, chief, WBAMC Emergency Department, said, “I became interested in emergency medicine while doing ER rotations at Fort Hood while in medical school. This is the first place that I actually got a chance to perform procedures. It is one of the few specialties that you get a chance to use all of the training from medical school. We saw cases from the newborn to the geriatric patient in the ED. Here you make an immediate difference in people lives.”

Lt. Col. John H. Garr, chief, WBAMC emergency department, reviews a patient’s chart with Christie Ruebush, R.N.

The ED may be more of a team approach than other specialties. “Unstable patients present with different injuries and illnesses and it takes a team of doctors, nurses and medics all working together to resuscitate the patient,” he added.

According to Carlton Bell, combat medic, working in the ER requires quick reaction and instant decision-making. “It is more demanding than working in the intensive care unit or a medical/surgical ward because you don’t know the type of cases that may present daily.

Both Dr. Garr and Bell said that overall, working in the ED is a rewarding experience because of the camaraderie between team members and members of other EDs within the community.



www.bliss.army.mil	Published for the Fort Bliss/El Paso, Texas Community	October 14, 2004

Patricia Williams, medical clerk, emer-gency department, provides information to a staff member. Emergency room physicians Dr. Lloyd Lim, standing, and Capt. (Dr.) Gregory M. Shipkey, review a patient record. Pvt. Gordon R. Feenstra, left, combat medic, explains the placement of the electrocardiogram leads with Pvt. Jenni-fer M. McDougald, combat medic. Pvt. Robert Castillo, combat medic, emergency department, administers an intravenous solution to Staff Sgt. Ken-neth L. Cotner, C Battery, 2nd Battalion, 43rd Air Defense Artillery. Capt. Rick M. Cosentino, nurse, emer-gency department, takes patient history during triage. <map name="boxmap-b4"> <area shape="rect" coords="0, 589, 120, 600" href="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm/privacy-policy.html?o=1" > <area coords="0,0,10000,10000" href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/redirect?tag=&creative=92501&camp=8117&link_code=dl1&path=subst/misc/amazon-cobrand-cc/v3/marketing-from-associates-step1.html/ref%3Db1_assoc_29" > </map>	WBAMC Emergency 25 years of saving lives STORY AND PHOTOS BY CLARENCE DAVIS III WILLIAM BEAUMONT ARMY MEDICAL CENTER PUBLIC AFFAIRS Sgt. Carlton V. Bell, combat medic, enters a patient’s information into the EKG machine. Emergency medicine began as a specialty more than 25 years ago. According to an American College of Emergency Physicians release, more than 110 million people seek care in the emergency department annually in the United States. Records show that there is an average of 43,800 visits annually to the William Beaumont Army Medical Center emergency department. Emergency medicine is America’s health care safety net because emergency physicians, nurses and ancillary staff treat patients 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Their patients range from the very ill to severely injured trauma patients fighting for their lives. The release continues to say that procedures physicians developed on the battlefield during the Korean Conflict and the Vietnam War were recognized as being useful in saving thousands of American lives in local hospitals annually. These physicians recognized the importance of timely triage and the advantages of providing treatment during the critical first minutes after an injury or acute illness. Capt. Johnny Dennis, RN, explains the operation of the Bear warmer to Pvt. Jennifer M. McDougald, combat medic. On Aug. 16, 1968, eight physicians meeting in Lansing, Mich., made a commitment to improve the quality of emergency care by setting standards for educating and training physicians for the treatment of emergency cases. Another milestone in emergency was when Congress passed the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act in 1985. The act mandates that all patients who come to the emergency department must be given a medical screening examination and be stabilized regardless of their ability to pay or insurance coverage. Lt. Col. John Garr, chief, WBAMC Emergency Department, said, “I became interested in emergency medicine while doing ER rotations at Fort Hood while in medical school. This is the first place that I actually got a chance to perform procedures. It is one of the few specialties that you get a chance to use all of the training from medical school. We saw cases from the newborn to the geriatric patient in the ED. Here you make an immediate difference in people lives.” Lt. Col. John H. Garr, chief, WBAMC emergency department, reviews a patient’s chart with Christie Ruebush, R.N. The ED may be more of a team approach than other specialties. “Unstable patients present with different injuries and illnesses and it takes a team of doctors, nurses and medics all working together to resuscitate the patient,” he added. According to Carlton Bell, combat medic, working in the ER requires quick reaction and instant decision-making. “It is more demanding than working in the intensive care unit or a medical/surgical ward because you don’t know the type of cases that may present daily. Both Dr. Garr and Bell said that overall, working in the ED is a rewarding experience because of the camaraderie between team members and members of other EDs within the community.