Ricky Almanzor was in the hallway of the Avenues Specialty Clinic near the entrance when he heard a woman outside frantically yelling. Ricky, a medical assistant in the gastroenterology department, didn’t hesitate to rush to the parking lot where his actions helped save a life.
“The woman was speaking Spanish, and I’m fluent, so I could understand her,” says Ricky. “I heard the woman say her family member was unresponsive and needed help. I found an elderly woman in a wheelchair who appeared unconscious. I quickly took her vitals but didn’t find a pulse.”
Ricky Almanzor
Ricky ran back inside the clinic and told the person at the front desk to call 911. Next he went to his team and asked Pam Mahaffey, RN, and Tori Child, a medical assistant, to assist him outside.
“When we got back to the patient she’d become responsive, and Pam asked her a few questions,” says Ricky. “The patient was disoriented, but her family member spoke enough English to let us know she had atrial fibrillation and she’d just been to a doctor appointment for an unrelated concern. We gave her oxygen and monitored her vital signs until the paramedics arrived.”
“Ricky did exactly what was needed and stayed calm during a really scary situation,” says Stephanie Hyler, practice supervisor. “Because of his fast reaction, the patient got the help she needed and the emergency responders arrived quickly.”
“This was my first time encountering a patient in a life-threatening emergency,” adds Ricky, who says he learned to speak Spanish while serving a mission in Chile for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. “I’m glad I could communicate with the family and keep them informed. I know they were grateful I understood.”
Afterward, the department put together a COVID-19 emergency kit to keep team members protected. “Our team realized we needed a way to act fast if a situation like this arises again, while making sure we have the personal protective equipment we need in our world today,” Ricky says.
The team put all the supplies in a backpack in a designated area, including masks, gloves, face shields, and PAPR. “We also got trained on how to use the PPE correctly and a few of us have been fitted with N95 respirators,” he says. “We felt like we needed to be prepared for emergencies and use best practices for COVID-19 just like we do inside the clinic.”
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“When we got back to the patient she’d become responsive, and Pam asked her a few questions,” says Ricky. “The patient was disoriented, but her family member spoke enough English to let us know she had atrial fibrillation and she’d just been to a doctor appointment for an unrelated concern. We gave her oxygen and monitored her vital signs until the paramedics arrived.”
“Ricky did exactly what was needed and stayed calm during a really scary situation,” says Stephanie Hyler, practice supervisor. “Because of his fast reaction, the patient got the help she needed and the emergency responders arrived quickly.”
“This was my first time encountering a patient in a life-threatening emergency,” adds Ricky, who says he learned to speak Spanish while serving a mission in Chile for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. “I’m glad I could communicate with the family and keep them informed. I know they were grateful I understood.”
Afterward, the department put together a COVID-19 emergency kit to keep team members protected. “Our team realized we needed a way to act fast if a situation like this arises again, while making sure we have the personal protective equipment we need in our world today,” Ricky says.
The team put all the supplies in a backpack in a designated area, including masks, gloves, face shields, and PAPR. “We also got trained on how to use the PPE correctly and a few of us have been fitted with N95 respirators,” he says. “We felt like we needed to be prepared for emergencies and use best practices for COVID-19 just like we do inside the clinic.”
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