Elmhurst Hospital

My husband, Laurence, numbers with the few hires among 4,000 employees who have worked over 25 years at Elmhurst Hospital. He began there as a volunteer during our houseparent days in the Woodside apartment. In the last months under USA Missions, he was hired as an escort in the hospital. We were young then, and he’d often climb steps rather than take an elevator to reach the patients he’d been called on to transport. (Years before, I worked with friends doing this at Halstead Hospital!)

Then, after two years like God parting the waters for the children of Israel, a supervisor opened the way for Laurence to qualify for three months of schooling in order to receive the title of Patient Care Associate (PCA). Laurence graduated at the top of the class and gave a superb speech at the graduation. (Ok. I may be biased, but none of our church family were there to hear. It’s been an alone journey.) PCA is no highfluten title. Laurence’s job consists of doing lots of vital signs, asking questions (have you ever thought about hurting/killing yourself?), making appointments, doing blood work, EKGs, eye photos, and a zillion other things that have been added over the years, making the job much more complicated and stressful than in the good ole days when he started. Laurence works in the Medical Primary Care Clinic.

Sometimes patients think he’s a doctor and will tell him their problems. He’s not anxious to hear them. He does know that with his nature, it’s good to interact with people. He comes home with stories, like about the mother with two little children who said her husband was abusive. He marveled at how quietly the children sat.

My clinic and emergency room visits have been smoother because my husband is an Elmhurst Hospital employee. He draws my blood when necessary. I’ve been stopped on the street so an employee can express their appreciation for Laurence. My time spent in the hospital room (broken leg, burst appendix) was punctuated with, “You’re Penner’s wife.”

Yesterday, I attended the ceremony honoring the employees who’d worked 25 years at Elmhurst Hospital. (Elmhurst Hospital is one of the top ten trauma centers in the country. Laurence says, “If they can’t save your life there, they can’t save it anywhere.) Afterwards, we ate the barbeque from Dinosaur’s that they served us. Elmhurst Hospital has been good to us! (I will refrain from the negatives. They are plenty. But Laurence has one and a half blocks to work and can leave the stress behind to come for lunch.) Berniece

P.s. Another blog written while having a lavender latte at Elmhurst Rostery.