In this crazy time with everyone on the edge of burnout, I want to take this time to share a positive that happened yesterday that really makes me so proud to be a part of the Sanford team. A man called in yesterday, in crisis, had called multiple places to try to get in for care as soon as he could. He was unable to get any response and was told there was nothing that could be done or that it would be weeks, and he was told to call here to see if we could help. When I was triaging him, he shared his gratitude for his experience. He has a lifetime of addiction issues, many traumas, and tons of grief and has not reached out for help in the past but knew he needed to get help when Friday he found himself in his garage, drunk with a gun with full intention of ending his life. He somehow found the strength to reach out for help which saved him from death. He spent the time with his family and started attending AA (luckily connected with a wonderful person there that could tell his crisis and kept him engaged and has continued to meet him for meetings). He knew that Sanford, (being the last place he was going to try to call) was his last hope, he was about ready to give up and would have, if he would have connected with someone who brushed him off or did not take that little bit of extra time with him.

We come into the picture when he called in to see if he could be seen. Kimberly took the call and spent the extra time to ask for more information about what was going on and she took the time to really listen and make him feel ok to share. She was able to have this man hold on the phone while she talked to her team. After he spent time with one team member, I went in to triage him and make a plan. This man was so grateful that Kim listened and made him feel like he mattered and that he was worth her time and that she took the time to make sure his needs were met. He went on to say that others listened without judgment, and he was able to be honest in a way that was helpful and the man felt hopeful and committed to carrying on in his efforts to change his life because of his experience with Sanford.