New room for EMS crew leads to special bond with hospital employee
Donna Carpenter, EMS, Shikara Robbins, CRMR employee and Todd Shroyer, Director of the EMS, stand in the fully stocked EMS room at the Coshocton Regional Medical Center.
COSHOCTON – “Have a great day! Be safe in the snow. Thanks for being such great EMT’s. Shikara” The note covers the center of the paper. The rest of the paper is full of the responses. “Thank you for the fruit cups!” “You are awesome!” “Thank you so much – keep up the good work.” This is just a small example of the special relationship between a Coshocton Regional Medical Center employee and the Emergency Medical Services staff.
When Prime Health Care came to Coshocton Hospital in early November last year, one of the first questions asked was “Where is your EMS room?” At the time, there wasn’t one. By the end of that day, plans were in the works and the room opened a few weeks later. “We hadn’t thought outside the box about available space,” said Mary Ellen Given, director of marketing and communications for the medical center.
The room is located near the emergency room and is only for emergency services personnel. The room is secured so only those with the key code can access it. A large couch, recliner, fax machine, table and chairs, TV and a small refrigerator are in the room. The purpose for the room is simple – a quiet place for EMS staff to do paperwork, grab a snack or simply decompress when they need it. “We work 24 hours shifts,” said Todd Shroyer, director of emergency medical services in Coshocton.
CRMC employee Shikara Robbins was asked to keep the room stocked with snacks and drinks for the EMS staff. “They are so important – I wanted to do a good job and make sure they had what they liked,” said Robbins, who just celebrated her second anniversary of working at the medical center. “We have several types of chips, so I just left a note and asked what they like.” That first note led to a special relationship between Robbins and the EMS crews.
“Shikara is the guardian angel of the EMS room,” said Given. “She goes above and beyond to make sure they have everything they need.” Robbins asked the crews what they might like and they responded with “sandwiches, pudding cups and milk” so she makes sure those items are always available. “I don’t know who likes what, but I can tell pretty quickly what’s missing and I make sure to replace that. They like fresh fruit – bananas, more than apples or oranges. I don’t want them to just eat junk cause they need to stay healthy. I make sure they have healthy choices, too. On Fridays, I really stock it full because I don’t work on weekends and I don’t want anyone to go hungry.”
One of the notes that is shared by CRMR employee Shikara Robbins and Coshocton County Emergency Medical Services crews in the new EMS room at the hospital.
Donna Carpenter, Coshocton EMS, said, “This is amazing. We don’t always have time to eat a real meal and being able to grab a snack here really helps us. We might not even see the station during our shift and have no time to eat.” Carpenter said there are times they are so busy that the snack someone grabs from the room is still in the squad the next morning. “Shikara is so attentive. She takes really good care of us.”
As the relationship built around post-it notes, Robbins saved the notes. She plans to put them all in a scrapbook. She even makes cards to leave for the EMS crews. “They left me a note once that was just a corner ripped from a piece of paper. I taped it to my clipboard so I can see it every morning. It makes me feel good.”
Robbins said, “They do so much. Someone needs to make sure they know they are appreciated and make them smile.” She continues to leave notes for the crews and the EMS appreciates all she does for them. Robbins was hired as part of the Employee First Initiative that helps ensure people with disabilities are integrated into the community. “They (the crews) are so nice. They tell me how much they appreciate what I do and that makes me feel good.”
At Easter, the EMS staff decided to show Robbins just how much she means to them. As a surprise, they decided to put together a little Easter basket for her. The donations from the staff started coming in. “We had to get a bigger basket,” said Carpenter. “Then more came in and we got another basket. And then we ended up putting that basket into a huge flower pot and it was filled, too.” The crews were excited to surprise her.
Robbins said, “I had to use both arms all the way around it and still couldn’t touch my fingers to carry it. It was so full. I still have the card sitting on my mantel at home and my blue stuffed animal is sitting where I can see it every day. I don’t know how they knew blue is my favorite color.”
Shroyer said, “This room is a physical symbol of the relationship between the EMS and the hospital. We all work together to benefit the community. There are times that EMS staff will make beds to help out in the ER.” He also said having the room has made their lives a little easier. “The sheriff’s department can fax our run times and reports to us here and we can fill out paperwork and let the staff at the hospital know exact times when medications were given or symptoms showed up.”
He also remembered the days when the EMS crews had to use the “Smoke Shack” outside the emergency room for their paperwork. “That’s where people went to smoke and we always came out smelling like smoke and had to finish our shift that way.”
Shroyer said, “Some days, we are so busy that we have a truck parked at Lion’s Curve (on old 16) and at Bethlehem Grange. When you see that, it means those two squads are the only available ones and they are trying to cover the entire county.” It’s days like those that make the EMS appreciate the new room at the hospital even more. “Just to have a quiet spot to decompress for a second and grab a snack or drink makes our days so much easier,” said Carpenter.
“Shikara’s dedication to her work in dietary services has benefited our patients and visitors and now she’s an incredible link to help support the outstanding work of the members of the EMS,” said Given. With a smile, Robbins said, “I love it here. I love the EMS and the notes we leave each other.” She is already planning what foods to stock the room with when winter comes.
Category: People & Places
