Hospitals and Jails...
I was once employed by a Mental Health organization that held Support Services contracts with the area hospitals and jails. I was on-call 24/7 to lend any assistance that I could to nurses and policemen when there was a danger that an individual might harm him or herself while under their care. It made for some long and tiring nights but it was rewarding and often very entertaining. I didn't mind being in the ER or jail as a member of a support team. Being in the ER or in jail because I belong there...well now, that's a horse of a different color. We will leave the jail stories alone but I have found myself in the ER as a patient far too many times during the last decade. I do share some responsibility. As the typical male (at least in this case) I hang on too long with whatever is ailing me and I find myself receiving emergency treatment. Today, I awoke with hives that refused to respond to my repeated dosage of Benadryl. By three o'clock my throat was closing and I was a...