Dr. Joseph Chan (center) with some members from Beverly Hospital’s Emergency Care Center team. “The cohesiveness it takes to band together to manage whatever comes through the ambulance doors creates a real sense of unity. There is no other team I would rather stand shoulder to shoulder with as we provide lifesaving care,” Chan says.
By Joseph L. Chan, MD, FACEP, Emergency Care Center Medical Director
SHORTLY AFTER I TURNED 16, my father told us that he was going to need a kidney transplant after struggling with an extremely rare autoimmune disease his entire life. The process of finding out that my dad—a geriatrician who spent his whole life caring for one of the most vulnerable populations—was suddenly becoming a patient himself confirmed for me my path toward a career in medicine. Entering medical school, I knew I wanted to have a broad general knowledge to be able to help the most people. That eventually led me to emergency medicine, because I felt I also wanted to make a difference when it mattered most.
Entering medical school, I knew I wanted to have a broad general knowledge to be able to help the most people. That eventually led me to emergency medicine, because I felt I also wanted to make a difference when it mattered most.
Growing to Meet Your Needs
As the cost of health care continues to rise and disparities in access grow, the role of the Emergency Department (ED) as the ultimate safety net is becoming more and more prominent. The past few years have seen record growth in ED visit volumes. Sometimes resources are strained when physical buildings can’t accommodate large volumes of patients. At Beverly, we are proud to be expanding the Emergency Care Center—doubling our physical space by moving into a state-of-the-art facility—so that we can offer Montebello and its surrounding communities the latest and best in care. We are extremely happy that we will be able to minimize wait times by having more space to immediately evaluate patients.
Care and Compassion
The Beverly ED staff is one of the most caring and resilient groups I’ve ever had the privilege of being a part of. People often compare working in the ED to going into battle together. The cohesiveness it takes to band together to manage whatever comes through the ambulance doors creates a real sense of unity. There is no other team I would rather stand shoulder to shoulder with as we provide lifesaving care. Every patient that comes through the doors is someone’s husband, mother, wife, father, daughter, son or friend. Our team goes out of their way to show each patient the compassion and caring that they deserve.
Why We Do What We Do
One of the things that actually brings us the most joy is when our patients notice the small things we do for them. Our physicians regularly call their patients after they’ve been discharged to make sure they are feeling better or were seen for follow-up care. Every few times, a patient or family member will mention that they were so thankful that the doctor took the time to call them or had the patience to carefully answer every question before they were discharged—that it really reassured them. Moments like these really confirm why we chose this field: to help, comfort and care for our community in the times when they need it most.
