Every business has a mission statement; it defines the core purpose of the organization.  At the Crisis Center of Tampa Bay, our mission is to ensure that no one in our community has to face crisis alone.  Our new strategic plan more closely aligns all of our work with our mission statement.  Every day, we provide a myriad of services in the Gateway and Corbett Trauma Center to meet this mission.  But nowhere is our mission more evident than in TransCare, our emergency transportation service.

Over 36,000 times a year, TransCare provides emergency medical and behavioral health transportation to our community's most vulnerable citizens.  During every TransCare new employee orientation, I talk to them about our mission, and their role in making this mission a reality for the patients we serve.  Over the past year, our TransCare staff have encountered patients like Andy, a paraplegic struggling with chronic medical issues, and Mary who delivered her first baby girl in the back of one of our TransCare ambulances.  What I am most amazed and humbled by are our staff members who go above and beyond to actually save a life.

TransCare EMTs, Michael and Alison, were traveling on I-275 when a driver approached, honking his horn and waving his arms, desperately needing help.  His passenger, slumped over in her seat, appeared unresponsive.  Michael and Alison pulled over, assessed the passenger, and determined she was not breathing and did not have a pulse.   Their immediate medical intervention resulted in reviving the unresponsive passenger and several days later, she successfully left the hospital.

And just this past weekend, Sam, a brand new employee, responded to the call for help during his drive home from work.  Sam came upon a motor vehicle accident near Kennedy and Dale Mabry.  Sam and two other off duty medical personnel performed CPR and successfully brought that patient back to life.  Even though Sam was off the clock, he saw a duty to act and actually saved a life.  Both TransCare examples illustrate our mission in action!

I always say, "there is no bigger crisis than when someone calls 9-1-1 in a medical emergency."  The Crisis Center of Tampa Bay is proud to partner with Tampa Fire Rescue to respond during a medical crisis.  As part of our strategic plan, we are looking into innovative approaches to expand our mission through TransCare.  I look forward to sharing these with you in the near future.

Clara