VitalOne

91 Year Old Saved By Medivac Transfer

“EVEN THE BURN SPECIALIST FELT SOPHIE’S CHANCES OF SURVIVAL WERE SLIM”
Caring for an elderly parent is never simple, but doing it from 5,000 miles away can be almost impossible. Sara* was well aware of this when she made the decision to leave her 91-year-old mother, Sophie*, in New York to pursue another life in Los Angeles. She visited her mother often in New York and called each day.

But nothing prepared Sara for the call she received one Tuesday night. She was informed that her mother was on her way to the emergency room at a local hospital. After taking a prescription medication, Sara’s Mother had become incoherent and developed a painful rash that was progressively burning her skin from inside and out. No more had to be said: as soon as Sara hung up the phone, she made arrangements to be on the next flight to New York’s JFK airport. Upon arrival, Sara hailed a car service to take her to the hospital. Astonishingly, when she called ahead to let the nursing staff know she was coming, Sara was informed that she would not be allowed to see her mother because it was already past midnight.

In memory of Dr. Jerome
Finklestein

When Staten Island University Hospital opened its state-of-the-art Burn Center on June 1, 1998, it was immediately heralded as the best burn facility in the New York/New Jersey area...

When Staten Island University Hospital opened its state-of-the-art Burn Center on June 1, 1998, it was immediately heralded as the best burn facility in the New York/New Jersey area. Perhaps the biggest influence for its esteemed status was the brilliant and compassionate director at the head of it all - Dr. Jerome L. Finkelstein, z”l. At the time, Dr. Finkelstein was one of the nation’s foremost authorities on adult and pediatric burn care. Prior to establishing the Staten Island Burn Center, Dr. Finkelstein served as Director of Pediatric Burns at New York Hospital-Cornell Medical Center from 1994 to 1998, and as Associate Acting Director and Associate Clinical Director of New York Cornell’s Burn Center.

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After a draining and emotionally exhausting journey, Sara felt desperate. To her surprise, however, the driver turned and said, “I think I know of an organization that can help you.” He called VitalOne.

When Sara finally arrived the hospital, she found Rabbi Leider had arrived there before her… and had already cut through the hospital’s red tape and arranged for Sara to see her mother immediately.

Rabbi Leider understood that Sara’s Mother was experiencing toxic epidermal mecrotic syndrome, a condition that literally burns the skin internally and externally. It was also clear that she was not receiving adequate care. Without it, there was very little chance of survival, since most victims die within twenty-four hours.

Because the hospital seemed complacent about Sara’s Mother’s condition, VitalOne consulted its network of experts to arrange an immediate transfer for Sophie by a state-of-the-art Medivac helicopter transport.

Their Destination; the best burn center in the region, Staten Island University Hospital’s Burn Center Unit. Dr. Jerome Finkelstein, one of the region’s foremost authorities on burn wounds, was the director of the unit. At every step of the lengthy and painful process, VitalOne checked up on Sara’s Mother and ensured that every detail of her care was covered.

Even Dr. Finkelstein felt Sara’s Mother’s chances of survival were slim. Thanks to Staten Island University Burn Center’s exceptional care — and to VitalOne’s coordination of emergency care — Sara’s Mother survived the critical first forty-eight hours, and began a full recovery.

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