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Nolita Madros, |
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| MARLA: Okay. We're back on. NOLITA: Okay. MARLA: After a little break. Where Nolita had to go back to work and do -- and see several patients. And so thanks again for coming back and talking to me. I kind of was -- there's a bunch of things that I wanted to ask you based on what we were talking about earlier. When we left off, you were talking about Telemedicine. NOLITA: Uh-hum. MARLA: And I just wondered if you could go into that a little bit more, like where the first time you saw it, you said -- you said the first time you used it where you really saw a benefit was in Point Hope. What other places are using it and when did they start using Telemedicine? NOLITA: Point Hope. I was out there maybe four years ago. MARLA: Okay. NOLITA: No. Yeah, maybe four or five years ago I was out there. And they were using it like all the time. All their patients and stuff. But where I really -- and the provider that was using it, you know, she would be typing in all the information and stuff, but it wasn't until we had the fax -- or take picture and send it to the doctor that I really saw the benefit of the Telemedicine. MARLA: Right. NOLITA: And so I thought that was really cool because we have all these Telemedicine carts in all the clinics that I've -- you know, I've itineranted in, and that was really when I saw it working. MARLA: And so it's something that's common to all clinics now generally, or -- NOLITA: Yeah. Pretty much. MARLA: Cool. NOLITA: And their EMG machine is a little bit better than the one we have right here now. So my hopes is to get this one up and running so I could -- just for the EKG machine. MARLA: So the EKG machine is connected to the Telemedicine machine? NOLITA: Yes. MARLA: So that means the doctor in Fairbanks can watch what's happening as it's happening? NOLITA: Pretty much, yeah. As I send it, yeah. MARLA: Wow. NOLITA: I could still fax them a copy of the -- what I get out of the machine now, our own, you know, clinic one, but I think it's a lot easier if I just send it by e-mail. MARLA: Right. NOLITA: Because then it's right there at his desk. You know. MARLA: That's awesome. NOLITA: He doesn't have to run down the hall to the secretary, grab the thing, come back, and do the interpretation, he just opens the screen and, voila, it's there. MARLA: That's great. NOLITA: And he could just let me know, e-mail me right back, let me know what's going on, if it's okay, if there's a question on it, or if I need to send them out, or whatever. So. MARLA: Okay. And then if -- if a doctor wants to send someone out, they send an order to -- to who? How does it work when someone -- once a doctor determines that they want a patient to come in? NOLITA: Well, usually they will call us back, and like if it's a medevac situation, we make the arrangements for the medevac. Or if it's just a not a medevac but a urgent medical travel, we make the arrangements with one of the local airlines to fly them in as a regular passenger, but they still have to go to the hospital. MARLA: Okay. NOLITA: Or the clinic. MARLA: Okay. Yeah. I just wondered how -- how that worked, whether the doctor called and -- or whether it was something that you guys were able to do. NOLITA: Here when we talk to, like, the doctor over at Chief, they tell us to notify the -- the Warbelow's Air Ambulance or whichever airlines, you know. When you do a medevac out of Samuel Simmonds in Barrow, they let us know that the medevac, or the Search and Rescue will be coming out for the patient, and they make the arrangements for Search and Rescue to come out. MARLA: Okay. NOLITA: So. We can't -- we can't just call up Search and Rescue and say, hey, we have a patient over here, blah-de-blah, and we need you to come get them. They won't move if the health aide calls them because they have a little different system. So. MARLA: And have you ever had to go out to the other villages when, you know, for emergencies or going out into the field, you know, away from the clinic to -- to manage or maintain emergencies? NOLITA: Yeah. MARLA: So what was that like? NOLITA: It was -- well, you know, the -- the -- and that goes back to the difference between the North Slope Borough clinics and the TCC clinics. When we worked for the TCC clinics, we usually have to go out and get the medevacs and the serious patients and bring them back to the clinic, whereas within the city limits here, we have the ambulance, they bring us our patients. So I've had both sides. MARLA: And Search and Rescue is something that's particular to North Slope Borough or was there also a Search and Rescue at TCC? I mean, so if someone's out, I'm thinking out in the mountains or out in the field and they needed to be rescued? NOLITA: Difference villages have Search and Rescue set up different ways. MARLA: Okay. NOLITA: Right now, because we're a part of the North Slope Borough villages, we have Search and Rescue out of Barrow. MARLA: Okay. NOLITA: And then they have here, locally, they have a local Search and Rescue unit, as well. MARLA: Okay. NOLITA: So. | |
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Last updated 11-4-06
Last updated 11-4-06