Today, we had a domestic abuse victim come into the ED. She had been abused the previous night and had been in this situation several times before, but was kept from leaving to seek medical attention by her abuser. On this day, she found a way to come get evaluated in KMC's ED. At first the patient, also pregnant, only wanted to be evaluated for the baby's health. And out of fear of retaliation she may succumb to from her partner, the patient refused to speak to the police, file a report, and refused to talk to our public safety team.
Registered Nurse, Heather Blackburn spent ample time speaking with this patient and developed a good relationship. As Heather connected more with the patient, by sharing her own experiences with domestic violence, the patient became more comfortable and began to open up to her. Soon after, the patient asked that the police be called to file a report but only as long as Heather could stay with her. To support this request, we arranged our staffing so that Heather could accompany the patient during her ultrasound and be present when the police arrived to begin the legal processes.
We are happy to report that the patient left with an officer to file charges against her abuser! Had Heather not cultivated a relationship with this individual, I truly believe the patient would have left AMA or never talked to the police about her situation. We possibly saved two lives today and all of this is definitely worth recognizing. Heather Blackburn, RN surpassed what is REMARKABLE today and I thought everyone should be made aware!