Being from the small town of Tipton, I've known Jo Ellen Scott for many years. But until 2018 I had not seen her in her element. In late February, my husband had fallen and landed on the backside of the pier that had been stacked for winter storage. It wasn't until the next day that he realized this fall was going to need serious attention.
We went to Tipton's ER because the swelling was causing him to have trouble breathing. As I'm sitting there on a metal chair in the ER wondering what is going to happen now, Jo Ellen walks in at 5:30 pm. My daughter had called her to let her know we were at the hospital and she was still at work, so Jo Ellen decided to check on us. When I first saw her, I gave her a hug. What a relief it was to see a familiar smiling face during all of this. She asked how things were going and I told her our story. My husband is being examined by a doctor. She checks his report and finds out what doctor is doing to help him. She also suggests some pain medicine for him. Then she calmly explains all of this to me. I found out 2 very important things from her that I then passed on to my husband.
1. A chest tube is being inserted to relieve the lung issue.
2. My husband cannot go home with a chest tube, therefore he will have to be admitted to the hospital.
During this time, Jo Ellen stays with me in the ER. She has this easy-going manner about her that everything is going to be alright. But at the same time, she's not sugar-coating the situation either. She answers all my questions and gives advice on the amount of time this will take to heel, pain, and rehab. The time she took out of her day to spend with me, comfort me, and advise me before my daughter could get to the hospital will never be forgotten. I think Jo Ellen's bedside manner goes beyond anything you learn in nursing school. Nurses are trained to help care for patients but, I don't know of any training for care of family members. I think that is just Jo Ellen.