Emergency call from overseas calls SHA staff into action
An unusual phone call reached nurse Mandy Racz during one of her shifts at the emergency department at Saskatoon City Hospital (SCH).
Vince Beckworth was at his home in the United Kingdom (UK) and had been speaking on the phone with his brother, Colin, in Saskatoon when Colin began struggling to speak and seemed to have fallen. Worried his brother was having a stroke, Vince tried to get help. After trying other avenues to no avail, Google finally gave Vince the number of Saskatoon City Hospital (SCH), and he got through to Racz.
As an experienced triage nurse, Racz was able to ascertain that immediate help was needed for Colin and called 911 to get help to his location. Vince stayed on the line with Colin, and soon heard paramedics arrive.
“I’m very grateful to everyone involved,” Colin said. “The care I received was first class, from the ambulance and police to the hospital, and the follow up. I used to be an emergency nurse in London (UK), so I’ve got a bit of experience to compare, and hand-on-heart can say the emergency and health services are amazing, and do an amazing job” he said.
Colin has made a full recovery and is back to his active lifestyle, running marathons and climbing mountains.
“Working in Emergency, particularly at triage, we often get tasked with unusual situations and try to find appropriate solutions that are outside the realms of medical treatment. I am glad that this situation resulted in a good outcome,” Racz noted.
“I am extremely proud of the work that was done in this instance. Someone called, requesting help for a loved one who was a great distance away. The team responded and ensured their loved one got the care they needed. It’s a great story and a great example of how staff go above and beyond every day when caring for those in need,” stated Dr. James Stempien, Provincial Head of Emergency Medicine for Saskatchewan Health Authority.
The care shown to both brothers by SHA staff showcases the values SHA employees embody: Compassion, Accountability, Respect, Equity and Safety (CARES).
From across the world, a simple phone call sparked a chain of compassion that bridged continents and saved a life—a reminder that our values are reflected in the actions of our staff, day in and day out.
Mandy Racz (left) works as a nurse in Saskatoon’s emergency departments and answered a call for help from the UK in July. Colin Beckworth (right) of Saskatoon is now back to climbing mountains after a medical emergency last summer that prompted his brother Vince, who called from England, to talk to Racz to ask for help for Colin.