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An Emergency before: “We didn’t know you can’t get into
a private ward unless you have a private
Overseas doctor,” Susan says. “We’ve never had to
navigate anything of this complexity before.
We weren’t prepared.”
Susan and George Taylor* own two homes in Susan’s doctors did not feel confident
England and have lived there part-time for making a diagnosis and had her scans sent to
years. They always had private health care via another hospital to be analyzed. The report
insurance while George was working, and until came back that she would not need surgery.
last year they never had any significant health “Essentially they were going to let me heal as
problems—which meant they never had to best I could, and then do a hip replacement
navigate the National Health System. Then an down the line.” Despite feeling woozy from
accident landed Susan in the hospital, and they the pain medication, neither Susan nor
found themselves totally unprepared. her husband trusted that recommendation.
She had seen the scans, and her intuition and
medical background led her to believe the
damages were extensive.
S usan looked both ways before Searching for Options
setting out to cross the street. At
the center of the four-lane road,
she checked again to be sure the George, prohibited from entering the hospital
coast was clear before continuing across. Out due to COVID-‹Œ regulations, spent those first
of nowhere, a car zipped around the corner couple days trying to arrange a private doctor
and slammed into her right side. When she and figure out their options. “George handled it
opened her eyes, a crowd had gathered. like he’d handle a business emergency,” says
“Here, try to sit up,” someone urged. Susan. “He looked at all the options and
But Susan knew better. A former nurse started making calls.”
practitioner, she knew to stay still until One of those calls was to Healthnetwork
paramedics could be sure she didn’t have Foundation, which George knew about as a
a spinal injury. donor to the Medical Center at Ocean Reef, one
In the emergency department, Susan says of Healthnetwork’s partners. Betsy, one of
she received prompt and thorough care. Healthetwork’s Medical Coordinators, connected
“They knew exactly what to do. They did a George with an orthopedic trauma surgeon in
CT scan. They checked for internal bleeding. London. The surgeon, Mr. Paul Harnett,**
Everything they did was excellent—until practiced at Cleveland Clinic’s outpatient
they decided I wasn’t going to die. Then they facility in London, and is now part of the team
dumped me on a ward, and that was the at Cleveland Clinic London, which opened in
worst night of my life.” March –—––. Mr. Harnett called George back
within an hour of receiving Susan’s scans.
Night from Hell Susan had three breaks in her right shoulder
That night, Susan lay in her bed in a large and a fracture in the socket part of her hip
joint. Mr. Harnett recommended surgery, and
room shared with five other patients. One George and Susan agreed it seemed the best
person screamed in pain all night long, and course of action. In fact, being so confident in
another moaned all through the night. Two of the need for surgery, Mr. Harnett had already
her roommates had terrible coughs, making booked an operating room for Susan. The
Susan fear for her respiratory health. “It was surgery took place a couple days later and
horrible. A night from hell.” took four and a half hours.
It was a harsh way to learn something about “I’m really not sure what would have
the National Health System they hadn’t known
happened if not for Healthnetwork,” Susan

10 Healthnetwork Foundation | www.healthnetworkfoundation.org

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