Answering the Call

There’s nothing like getting the call. You know the one. The phone rings — and suddenly the world shifts. Your child fell at school. Your loved one needs help now. Your friend is on their way to the emergency room.

I’ve gotten that call more than once. Maybe you have, too. In those moments, fear rushes in. Time blurs. Yet somehow, amid the panic and uncertainty, help appears. That’s the miracle of emergency medicine.

At Cleveland Clinic, our emergency departments never close. They never turn anyone away. No matter who you are or what time it is, someone will be there. To stabilize. To solve. To save. In this issue, we’ll introduce you to some of the heroes who make that possible — and the innovations transforming how emergency care is delivered. You’ll read about virtual triage that accelerates lifesaving treatment the moment a patient walks through the door. Forensic nurses who bring healing and justice to victims of trauma. Critical care transport teams that deliver ICU-level care by land and air. And caregivers who move mountains in someone’s darkest hour.

We’ve all seen emergency medicine dramatized on TV, from “ER” to “Grey’s Anatomy” to “The Pitt.” But the reality is often far more nuanced.

Brad Borden, MD, FACEP, who leads the Department of Emergency Medicine, puts it so well in our cover story: “Our patients don’t show up with a diagnosis; they show up with symptoms. We’re detectives. And we have to move quickly, because for some cases, time is everything.” It’s inspiring. It’s humbling. And it’s easy to take for granted. We assume the ED will be there when we need it. What we don’t always see is the emergency within the ED: the unprecedented demand, the limited space, the caregivers stretched to their limits.

Philanthropy can make a profound difference here. Thanks to generous donors, we’re building stronger, safer, more responsive emergency systems. Upgrading facilities. Supporting those physicians, nurses and others who never stop giving.

If you’ve ever made a gift to emergency medicine: thank you. You’re helping care begin. And if you haven’t yet, I hope you’ll consider it. Because when that call comes — and it will — your support creates a space for hope.

We’d Like to Hear from You

Cleveland Clinic Magazine welcomes letters from readers.
Email ClevelandClinicMag@ccf.org or drop us a line at Cleveland Clinic Magazine, Philanthropy, 9500 Euclid Avenue/HS1-15, Cleveland, OH 44195-0002.