A few days ago, we were in the Ilsley Public Library and witnessed a medical incident in the lobby that was disturbing. The staff responded quickly to call 911 and the medics arrived and brilliantly handled the medical needs. 

However, when it became clear that the patient needed to be taken to the hospital on the gurney, the team determined that a gurney would not fit in the elevator and the stairs leading to the side entrance were too constricted to manage the turns (an ambulance was waiting in the parking lot). A second ambulance was then called to the front door so the patient could be carried on a backboard, down the front stairway to the street, where they could put her on a gurney and take her to the hospital. 

All these maneuvers took precious time. Fortunately, the patient got to the hospital without further incident and is doing well.

We both pondered “what if this happened in January when the front steps were closed due to ice and snow?” or “what if the person had been on the second or third floor, unable to navigate the stairs or elevator without a gurney?” Our urgent need for the renovation of our public library became stunningly clear to us as we watched this episode.

Kudos to the staff and medics who acted quickly and efficiently to save a life. Now we need to renovate our public library so we have a space that is safe and accessible.

Barbara Doyle-Wilch and Pam Shafer

Middlebury