Do you know what this is? It is a potentially life saving product that you should have in your trauma kit.
Get some at any REI or running store.
When I was in church security leadership I used to tell new team members that it is vitally important we encounter questionable people outside in the parking lot whenever possible; you have maneuvering room and the landscape (of potential victims) is sparse. “A pound of prevention…”
This is a proactive approach to situational management which is harder because it requires active perception.1 Anyone can be reactive but then, the situation is evolving largely out of your control and you’re playing catch-up. That is not the best position to be in. Just ask Jocko.
Checking in patients at RAM
It may not be perceived as glorious like diseased tooth extractions or fitting new eyeglasses but my job for the weekend was simply to welcome people to our event, register them for the medical services they could use and get them situated. I thought about it in-depth (since last year) and took it seriously, placing myself in their shoes. What would I want to feel at 1:15AM when I’m half awake, heard about this “RAM thing” for free services and I’m worried about my kids back at home and sleeping in my car for the next six hours? My conclusion: a welcoming smile delivered with “Good Morning!” and assurance that yes, you are in the right place and we will try to help you. Inclusion.
With a sincere bedside manner you can push aside people’s fears and worries quite well. Even if you’re not the expert, just act like you are. Assume everyone else on your team will operate at their highest potential to prepare people for success.
Back to the glucose tube. One woman checked in and commented that she earlier had forgotten her glucose tablets. I asked “Do you have them now?” “No” and she diverged into story telling of unrelated issues. I made a note later to bring that tube by to her car. “Put this in your purse. I’ll watch you do it. Keep it for emergencies.” She just nodded at my focused direction.
Back at church security I had run through all the possible things I’d be faced with, sometimes on 7 hour shifts. My conclusions came out to 0.1% weapon assaults and 99.9% medical issues. So instead of buying a fancy new Glock which I would never need I concentrated on Narcan (for opiate overdoses), SAM splints and diabetic maintenance. The world ain’t a John Rambo movie.
Back to RAM
The second day was completed well. Reported weekend statistics:
373 patients seen
$146,000 in effective services given for free
Thanks once again to the dental students who came from Las Vegas to serve. I saw a notable uptick in vision services this year and the spots were fully maxxed out. This could be a “long tail” issue from the Covid nonsense, I don’t know.
As our founder Stan Brock reminds us at RAM “Never forget the mission.” There is a movie soon to come out about his tireless work. I am glad to be a small part of it at this season in my life.
I am not a gun guy and in general, I do not like the gun crowd. They are typically simplistic and argue with the same useless passion about weapons that college basketball fans argue over their favorite teams. There are bigger issues to tackle.