Ann Brock, trauma outreach coordinator at Atrium, and Claire Hardman, trauma program manager at Atrium, presented Challenge Coins to Monroe Fire Department’s Lt. Rusty Rickard, Joel Coomer, Ben Lause, Todd Lohse and Jacob Zeckser during a ceremony this week at the fire station.
On Dec. 1, 2021, they were dispatched to the 3000 block of Apple Knoll Lane on a report of a gunshot wound victim. A 64-year-old man had been shot, according to the Monroe Police Department.
Those on the medic run quickly administered tranexamic acid, a medication used to treat or prevent excessive blood loss from major trauma on a patient. The treatment allowed Atrium’s trauma team to stabilize the patient and get him to the operating room for further stabilization and transfer him to Miami Valley Hospital in Dayton, said Hardman.
David Leverage, Monroe’s assistant fire chief, said Dr. Jill Aston, medical director of Atrium’s emergency department, has approved the use of tranexamic acid, a “more aggressive” treatment, and that helped lead to a positive outcome for the gunshot victim.
Rich Morrett, EMS coordinator at Atrium, said the treatment was “one big factor” in the man surviving the gunshot wound. The shooting remains under investigation by Monroe police, according to the report.
Leverage said no one works in public safety for the awards, but it’s “nice when someone from the outside recognizes what we do.”
Morrett agreed. “That’s our job to save people. And they did it well through training and education.”
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