Page 5 - February 2020 Ulupono

Don’t Treat a Drug Seeker Like a Drug Seeker
By Steve Bovey Quality Supervisor
We recently heard these words from David Santos, the hospital president of our sister hospital at Clearlake in California. He stated that drug abuse and drug addiction were huge problems in their community and that they get more than their fair share
of individuals coming to their ER seeking opioids. While he and his hospital staff have a responsibility to keep their patients safe and not enable their patients’ drug abuse or drug addiction, he also wants every patient to receive compassionate care.
During his visit to Castle, he was impressed with our core competency of Love Matters and stated that he could feel it in our culture. Of course, we know that some of our patients are easier to love than others,
and many patients from our community
also have drug seeking behaviors. So how
do we love them? The answer is often with “tough love”, but tough love does not need to be mean or disrespectful. We can say “no” to their requests for opioids, but we can
say it with compassion. These patients can be manipulative and difficult to treat, but they are also miserable and in need of our compassion. We don’t have to give in to their manipulations, but we don’t need to go to war with them either.
During Mr. Santos’ visit there was a code gray announced for the ER lobby. An angry woman was yelling and swearing just outside the ER lobby. As associates responded to the code, they saw one of our ER nurses listening to the woman’s angry outbursts and responding with reassurance and compassion. The woman calmed down and was able to regain her composure. The code gray response showed the woman that we would not allow her to escalate any further or hurt anyone, and the reassurance and compassion shown by the nurse let her know that she did not have to be afraid and that she could trust us. Love really does matter at AH Castle.
Hello Baby Adelaide!
Adventist Health Castle wecome Baby Adelaide Agresto, the medical center’s first baby of the New Year at 6:58 a.m. on January 1. Baby Adelaide is the first child born to Michael and Courtney Agresto of Honolulu and weighed in at 7 lbs. 1 oz. The Agrestos received a gift bag from Castle that included a pink stuffed teddy bear for Adelaide.
The military family says they chose Castle because Courtney sees obstetrician Tricia Song, MD, FACOG, at Pali Women’s Health. “We just heard so much about how great the birth center at Castle is,” Courtney says.
FEBRUARY 2020 - ULUPONO | 5
IN SICKNESS & IN HEALTH SEMINAR
Lifestyle Changes for Heart Health
Feb. 13, Thursday, 6 to 7 p.m. Presented by Jamalah Munir, MD, FACC
Castle Wellness & Lifestyle Medicine Center Auditorium For class registration, call 263-5050
Heart disease is the leading cause of death in America, and it can take years to develop. Learn from interventional cardiologist Dr. Munir what you can do to prevent heart disease and take charge of your health. These free seminars provide expert health and wellness education from leading health care professionals. Healthy refreshments will be served.