KUDOS
— Martha Spetla and Maggie Grall pose for a photo. Quick action on their
part saved the life of a client at Sunmount in September.— Photo by Rabbi
Kenneth WhiteCountdown to...
Implementing the Workplace Violence Law
By NANCY WOLFF
The last thing a nurse wants to hear is a call for “Code Blue” when only two nurses are covering a shift and overseeing 83 clients.
That’s what happened to Maggie Grall and Martha Spetla, nurse 2s at Sunmount Developmental Center in Tupper Lake on September 22, when a client was experiencing heart failure.
Direct care staff recognized the change in his level of alertness, put him in protective positioning and alerted nursing staff. Grall and Spetla immediately called a medical emergency, had the rescue squad alerted and began cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).
“They had everything under control and the client is alive due to the actions of those nurses,” said Ed Snow, PEF Division 242 council leader and Health and Safety chair at the state Office of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities.
“These nurses performed as professionals. They took the necessary steps to save the client without waiting for medical direction and acted quickly, calling for additional nursing staff,” Snow said.
Scenes like this occur statewide on a regular basis. PEF nurses are dedicated, despite short staffing, mandatory overtime, violence in the workplace and lack of respect by management.
PEF nurses continue to provide a superior level of care to clients, no matter what.
Grall and Spetla deserve special recognition for their efforts. If you know of another nurse who should be recognized, call 1-800-342-4306 ext. 344.