May 29, 2009 | Poplar Springs Hospital RN Receives Special Award For Act Of Heroism
PETERSBURG, Va. (May 29, 2009) - When a nurse at Poplar Springs Hospital, a Psychiatric Solutions, Inc. facility, answered the phone in the nurses' station during a day shift, she wasn’t expecting anything out of the ordinary. But then the person on the other end of the line said that he was standing on a local roadway bridge, preparing to end his life. Relying on her more than 13 years of experience handling trauma and high-stress situations, Karen Heidorn stayed calm and kept the man on the phone for more than half an hour until authorities could get to the scene and take him to safety.
For her act of selfless compassion and heroism, Poplar Springs Hospital executives presented Heidorn with a special "Doing the RIGHT Thing" commendation award on May 29. The presentation of the award is especially timely and meaningful since May is Mental Health Month.
"Karen is a wonderful person and an exceptional health care professional," said Poplar Springs CEO Richard Clark. "I'm not at all surprised that she was able to respond in exactly the right way to a very desperate situation. We're proud to have her at Poplar Springs and can’t think of anyone more deserving of this award."
Heidorn is hesitant to take any special credit for her part in helping to save the man's life. "I was just doing my job," she said. "I don’t view what I did as particularly heroic or courageous; the person on the phone that day needed my help and I'm grateful I was able to provide it."
About Poplar Springs Hospital
Poplar Springs Hospital, a Psychiatric Solutions, Inc. facility, provides a therapeutic environment and extensive mental health continuum of care designed for the treatment of behavioral and emotional disorders, drug and alcohol abuse, and other issues that compromise productive daily functioning. Poplar Springs Hospital is Medicaid approved and is fully accredited by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Health Care Organizations. It is also a TRICARE approved facility and is available for eligible members of the military and their families.
About Psychiatric Solutions, Inc. (PSI)
Psychiatric Solutions, Inc. offers an extensive continuum of behavioral health programs to critically ill children, adolescents and adults and is the largest operator of owned or leased freestanding psychiatric inpatient facilities with over 10,000 beds in 31 states, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. PSI also manages freestanding psychiatric inpatient facilities for government agencies and psychiatric inpatient units within medical/surgical hospitals owned by others.
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