Three Nebraska Medicine coworkers save man's life
Monday, Dec. 17, 2018, is a day some Nebraska Medicine colleagues won’t soon forget. What started out as a typical start to the workweek turned into something much more for Chris Bultsma, pharmacy applications sr. analyst, Jocelyn Pearson, applications sr. analyst and Cindy Sutton, director, Physician Network Services.
Sutton was walking into work inside the Mutual of Omaha Bank building at 3333 Farnam St. in Omaha, where hundreds of other Nebraska Medicine employees have their offices. She noticed a Mutual of Omaha employee in front of her fall to the ground.
“I asked if he was okay but he did not respond,” Sutton says.
As Sutton began to dial 911, a Mutual of Omaha employee that knew the man who collapsed came out and helped encourage him to stay down and not get up. Members of the Mutual of Omaha Health Services nursing staff and security teams soon arrived on the scene and also helped keep the man from getting up until the paramedics could arrive.
“He laid back down and when they rolled him over, his eyes were closed and he was breathing but it was shallow,” says Sutton. “I was describing the scene to the 911 operator and answering her questions about the man’s condition.”
“As I was checking for a pulse, Chris (Bultsma) came up and asked if I needed help,” says Pearson. “I told Chris I couldn’t feel a pulse and he checked as well.”
Bultsma began CPR, alternating with Pearson to give the man chest compressions, until a Mutual of Omaha employee arrived with a portable defibrillator. All Mutual of Omaha Health Services team and security staff members are CPR certified and trained to use these devices for emergency response.
“Time seemed to stop once I heard Jocelyn say ‘I don’t think he has a pulse,’” says Bultsma. “I don’t recall anything around Jocelyn and I until the squad was there telling me that they were able to take over.”
“All parties involved took ownership of a role and worked as a team,” adds Pearson.
The man was breathing, be it labored, but he had a pulse and paramedics arrived. Coincidentally, this wasn’t the first time Bultsma has had to jump into action. In 2012, he also performed CPR to a person who collapsed near the med center campus, near Saddle Creek Road and Emile Street.
“Thank you to everyone involved for your quick and decisive response, communication, collaboration, professionalism and actions during the life threatening medical emergency,” says Andy Karavas, security supervisor, Mutual of Omaha. “These actions saved the man’s life.”
“Seeing everyone jump into action for someone they had never met was amazing,” says Sutton. “It seemed like we all knew what our role was in the moments of chaos.”
