Kaiser Permanente Watsonville nurse leads ailing man to help.

While walking to her car at the parking lot of Kaiser Permanente San Jose Medical Center on April 26, Registered Nurse Elena Gonzalez noticed a passing vehicle, whose driver was shouting for help.

Gonzalez caught the eye of the driver, and when he finally pulled over, she realized he was trying to find the emergency department, as his passenger – his father – was sick. Gonzalez said the driver was very upset and having difficulty communicating in English.

“I said ‘I speak Spanish, I can help you,’” recalled Gonzalez, who had just left a day-long meeting at the medical center. “I gave him directions to the ED, in Spanish, which really wasn’t very far from where he stopped.”

As Gonzalez was giving the driver instructions she noticed the other man in the car, holding on to his chest. The driver, again upset and having difficulty communicating, said the passenger was his father and that he was trying to get him help. The father was pale, perspiring, and was moaning in pain.

“The driver was so nervous he became confused, he was not comprehending,” Gonzalez recalled.

Although she gave clear driving directions to the nearby emergency department, Gonzalez knew the driver was too distraught about his father, impeding his ability to comprehend her instructions and drive his father there quickly and safely.

“If the passenger was having a heart attack, every second counts in getting medical treatment,” said Gonzalez. “So, I decided, ‘I have to get him over there myself.’”

In Spanish, Gonzalez explained to the driver that she is a nurse and wanted to help. It was urgent for his father to get medical attention. Gonzalez asked to get in the back seat of the car and direct him and his father to the ED.

The driver unlocked the back door, Gonzalez got in, and she guided them to the Kaiser Permanente San Jose ED in less than a minute. During the short drive, Gonzalez got a little information about the man and his condition. The driver pulled over in front of the ED, Gonzalez got the ailing father out of the car and assisted him to the triage area. Gonzalez reported to the ED nurse. “The ED team started care immediately and a Spanish interpreter began translating for the patient,” she said.

Gonzalez, who is a nurse manager at the Kaiser Permanente Santa Cruz Medical Offices, was informed the following morning that the father did not have a heart attack after all and was doing well after being treated and discharged home.

“It was the right thing to do,” said Gonzalez, recalling her short ride to the Emergency Department. “As a nurse and member of the Kaiser Permanente family, helping those in our community is an honor and pleasure.”

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