Shown above: CVMC physician Javad Mashkuri and WCMHS Emergency Services Coordinator Gary Gordon discuss patient care in the Emergency Department.
Some of the most vulnerable patients in the medical system, those with mental health concerns, enter the doors of UVM Health Network Central Vermont Medical Center through the Emergency Room, where teams from the Emergency and Psychiatric Departments work with their colleagues from Washington County Mental Health Services to triage both their bodies and their minds.
Through this work, which frequently occurs at night, the teams have become tight-knit co-workers and friends. Their collaboration was formally honored recently during WCMHS’ first annual Community Partner Awards.
Karen Kurrle, Intensive Care Services Program Director at WCMHS, who presented the award, praised the team for their professionalism, their willingness to go above and beyond and their joint commitment to the well-being and safety of the people they collaboratively serve.
“They are our partners in the hours no one sees,” said Kurlee. “They are unsung heroes to us. They are the people that answer our calls, treat us with respect…The ER for us is like a safety zone. They always have our back.”
The gratitude goes both ways.
“It’s a terrific partnership,” said Dr. Javad Mashkuri, Emergency Room Physician. “We are the ones that should be giving them the award.”
Below, representatives from the Emergency Department team (first) and Inpatient Psychiatry team (second) after the award ceremony.
