Local Emergency Care [Michelle + Adam Holtquist]

Video Transcript

Adam: I'm Adam Holtquist, I'm a State Farm agent here in Brookings. I've been part of State Farm for about 10 years. Both my wife and I are SDSU alums as well. So, it was great to be able to come back here to Brookings.

Michelle: I am Michelle Holtquist from Brookings here. I am a nurse practitioner here locally.

What brought your daughter to the emergency room?

Adam: So, what brought us here initially was our youngest daughter, Amelia. She had a prolonged seizure, which was almost 30 minutes. And we didn't know right away. Picked her up from daycare, and it sounds like she was seizing in the car. And I didn't notice until I was getting her out of the car, what was wrong with her. Which I immediately called my wife, who at the time was working in the health care field and was not able to respond. And so, I called the local 911, and they were able to dispatch the local emergency system here within about 10 to 15 minutes, and kind of walk me through what I needed to do to make sure that she was safe throughout the whole process.

Michelle: I believe they recognized right away that she was having a seizure. They recognized that she was still seizing, and so, immediately, they were able to start an IV on her and give her the medication that she needed to stop the seizure.

How did the ER staff initially treat your daughter?

Adam: They basically just comforted me and told me that, hey, this is where currently our daughter is at, that she is responsive. They'd gave her a certain medication. And then they walked me right back to where she was, and I was able to see her. She was in a sedated state but obviously breathing. And we were always kind of kept calm in a reassuring voice that she's okay, and that they're doing everything they can to make sure she'll have a recovery.

How did Amelia benefit from Dr. Dreessen's medical expertise?

While she was at home, I would say, you know, pretty standard seizing, in regards to her eyes cocked back, and there was some jolting and stuff. But by the time the ambulance arrived, the actual normal signs you would see seemed to have subside, so I thought maybe she had stopped. It wasn't till we were actually here at the ER. And it was Dr. Driessen that actually, they did uncover that she was still... Was it minor seizures? That she was still showing signs of that, which, again, prolonged to almost 30 minutes from the time I noticed to the time they got here, were able to give her the medicine to stop. So, even though I thought it had stopped, it had not, and it was his medical expertise that saw that.

Michelle: Who knows how long her seizure could have been for and what her outcome could have been as well?

How was your communication with the ER staff?

Adam: Obviously, this is what she deals with on a day-to-day basis. So, she understands, where I come from a place of not understanding. And I think what was able to make it an easier process was we are a small community, and just throughout that evening, how many people? The nurses and providers that Michelle did know through her years of working, they were able to be a reassurance that everything's gonna be okay, again, using calming demeanor and reassuring me that, "Hey, this is what we're doing next. Putting IV, putting certain medication in, and that she is progressing the right way." And so, it was very just reassuring that she was being taken care of.

How did staff make Amelia feel comfortable?

Michelle: This is something simple. But the most comforting thing to me was that staff were in and out the entire time checking on Amelia. The doctor was in a couple of times checking on her as well. Ancillary staff were in. And honestly, the most comforting thing was Amelia was provided with a small fleece blanket. And that blanket, to this day, is still Amelia's blanket. She brings it to bed. It's her secure comfort.

Adam: It's her comfort blanket.

Michelle: Yep. And it was something so simple. That someone just came in and saw her laying in there and decided to bring her that blanket. And that's been a special blanket to us. And that's, honestly, nothing medical-related at all. It was just that comfort.

What did you appreciate most about your care?

Michelle: I think we both appreciated just the constant communication with us. Allowing us to be involved in Amelia's care and the decision-making with her, and ultimately getting Amelia to where she needed to be.

What was Amelia's diagnosis?

Michelle: Through it all, it was determined that it was just from a common cough, cold virus. She had a fever surrounding the event as well.

How is Amelia today?

Michelle: Amelia is spunky, happy. She's a good, little girl. She's doing great. She's had a couple of more seizures since then, but we are reassured that it has still been related to common cold viruses and a fever at that time. So, we are very grateful.

Why do you recommend the Brookings ER?

Adam: I think a big takeaway for myself, you know, not being in the health care system and knowing what all the capabilities are of what hospital system, and Brookings Health was able to get our daughter to a place where she could be transferred. But they may have certain capabilities or not, but I know one capability they have is the people, the relationships. That walking into an unfamiliar situation and just being comforted. What comforted me probably the most is seeing my wife being comforted by friends or colleagues she's worked with over the years. Knowing that our daughter was gonna be in the best care just because we're in a small community and we do care, and everybody does know everybody. So, it was really, really reassuring to see that.

Why was it important to have emergency care close to home?

Michelle: I think the residents of Brookings are very lucky to have this facility so close for patients to receive the care that they need at the time. And if it's something that needs to be referred to a higher level of care facility, they are able to do that. Amelia needed to be admitted to the Sanford Castle, and have more testing and procedures done that wouldn't be able to be performed here, but she was easily transferred.

Adam: Just knowing that peace of mind that comes with having, you know, a local world-class kind of health care system in your backyard. That you're not waiting an hour or two to have to go down to Sioux Falls just to be able to render that care. And they're very competent and capable here in Brookings, and we were able to get our daughter to a place where she was on the road to recovery, and able to assist in getting us down to that next level. And so, just having that peace of mind, that within minutes, that our daughter was taken care of, can't put a price to that.

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