When West Licking emergency medical technicians (EMTs) arrived at Buck Slack’s house, they found him lying in pain at the base of a staircase, requesting to be taken to the Emergency Department at Licking Memorial Hospital (LMH). Buck had arisen from bed early in the morning and started down the stairs of his Pataskala home. He lost his balance as he took the first couple of steps and tumbled down the remaining flight of stairs. Buck quickly took stock of his situation after he landed on the floor and saw that he was lying on top of his right leg, with his foot bent in an unnatural angle to the side.

His wife, Sara, was working an evening shift and Buck knew that she would be home soon, so his first intention was to wait for her to arrive and ask her to take him to the Hospital. However, the pain was too intense, and after a few minutes, he used his cell phone to call 911 for help. The 911 dispatcher assured Buck that help would arrive quickly, and she asked him if the EMTs would be able to enter the house. Buck realized that the front door was locked, but told the dispatcher that he was confident he could safely unlock it. The dispatcher remained on the phone with Buck while he crawled to the front door and turned the dead bolt. Next, he did something that still bemuses him – he crawled back to the bottom of the stairs and waited for the EMTs to arrive. “I do not know why I did that,” Buck said with a laugh. “I guess I thought that it would make it easier for the EMTs to come in with a stretcher.”

The EMTs arrived in just seven minutes, and checked Buck for additional injuries. They stabilized his right leg and loaded him into the ambulance. Based on past experiences, Buck already knew where he wanted to be treated and asked to be taken to LMH. (In non-life-threatening incidents, patients may request that the emergency medical squad takes them to a specific hospital in their vicinity.)

“I have been to emergency rooms at other hospitals with my five children and my mother,” Buck explained. “Their care was good, but the wait was so long. I realize that they need to see the most critically ill patients first, but I felt as though their facilities were so large that they did not really care about my inconvenience. I also have noticed that the Columbus doctors may spend a few minutes with me, but then my case is passed to a student. Every time that I have been to LMH, everyone has been so attentive and positive, and the doctors spend much more time with me. I feel like I am getting more attention and better care at LMH.”

After a brief assessment with the Emergency Department triage nurse at LMH, Buck was taken to a patient exam room. Within minutes, Joel W. Anders, D.O., was by Buck’s side. “He introduced himself, pointed at my leg and said, ‘That is broken!’ It was that obvious,” Buck recalled.

X-ray images revealed that Buck had suffered a fibula fracture with disruption of the mortise – meaning that the smaller of the two calf bones was broken, and that the bones were dislocated from the ankle socket. Dr. Anders set the bone to make Buck more comfortable and applied a temporary cast. Buck was admitted to LMH and underwent surgery the next morning to have metal screws implanted. He wore a specialized boot and used a rented scooter for six weeks while his leg healed. He then underwent a second surgery to have the stabilizing screws removed.

Buck first became familiar with LMH in 1979 when he was employed as an information systems technician at a phone company and was assigned to install a new telephone system in the Hospital. He returned in 1985 to install a system-wide upgrade. In the early 2000s, Buck came to LMH as a patient for some laboratory testing and was impressed by the changes that had taken place.

He said, “During both phone system projects, I was at LMH every day for an extended period and had become very familiar with the facility. It was obvious that over the years, the staff had been working very hard to make improvements, and the Hospital had made a great effort to bring in the best doctors. The whole staff was more personable and confident and made me feel as though they honestly cared about me. I decided that LMH was going to be my hospital of choice.”

LMH’s Emergency Department is open 24-hours a day, seven days a week to treat emergent or life-threatening illnesses and injuries. Less severe injuries may be treated at LMH’s two Urgent Care facilities during their normal operating hours. LMH Urgent Care – Pataskala is open 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., Monday through Saturday, and 12:00 Noon to 6:00 p.m. on Sunday. Licking Memorial Urgent Care – Granville is open 9:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, and 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. Both Urgent Care facilities are closed on holidays.