Daniel Cho was caring for a 63-year-old Korean speaking woman who was assaulted by her husband. Upon discharge, the concern was that the patient was going to return home where it was unsure if her abusive husband was there. Daniel began his mission by calling campus Sheriffs in an attempt to get them to escort her home so she could grab her belongings and car. That door quickly closed as all they offered was to call the Police Department (PD) within the jurisdiction of where the initial assault occurred. Daniel met many obstacles. Even when PD responded, they drafted a restraining order and stated, “Whoever takes her home can call 911 for her if he’s there.” We must be reminded, the patient only speaks Korean, and at this point, the only transportation option was a taxi or Uber which would not guarantee a safe arrival for her.

Daniel would not give up and continued to go back and forth with multiple resources including Social Work. Daniel even explored the option of taking her home himself! As he awaited callbacks, another trauma patient came into the trauma bay escorted by law enforcement. Daniel took this opportunity and approached these officers for assistance. Daniel was able to contact their watch commander who coordinated an escort to the patient’s home where she was able to safely secure her belongings and car and drive herself to a safe haven.

This very scenario is an example of compassion and relentless determination for another human. Daniel‘s concern for this patient’s safety took him above and beyond and it was evident that he was not going to allow any measure of an obstacle to prevent him from safely discharging her.