• New “concierge” positions have been created in the Emergency Departments at Crozer-Chester Medical Center and Delaware County Memorial Hospital to assist staff in evaluating patients and to create an additional level of communications between patients and staff.
• Kitty Wrench is employed as Crozer’s ED patient liaison, while Jack Kearney will serve as ED concierge at DCMH. Both Wrench and Kearney are trained paramedics with long-term experience in emergency medicine.
• The ED concierges are responsible for helping to triage and treat patients, serve as a liaison between patients and staff, and make patients and family members comfortable during the ED treatment process.

Patients seeking emergency medical treatment at two Crozer-Keystone Health System hospitals have new allies in the Emergency Room: two new ED Concierges specially trained to anticipate and solve the problems of patients and their family members and add a new level of communication between patients and ED staff.

Kitty Wrench is employed as Crozer-Chester Medical Center’s ED patient liaison, while Jack Kearney serves as ED concierge at Delaware County Memorial Hospital. Both Wrench and Kearney are trained paramedics with a combined half-century of experience in emergency medical services.

Wrench and Kearney are primarily responsible for the reception of patients and family members at each hospital’s Emergency Department. They also assist triage nurses in screening patients presenting to the departments during periods of high demand.

Wrench, a Crozer paramedic for 24 years, accepted the position of ED patient liaison in March.

“After 24 years, it was time to come inside, and the patient liaison position allowed me to continue to work with patients and to keep in contact with friends who are paramedics,” she says. “I love it. It’s a big change, but a positive change. The ED is a busy, fast-paced environment, and I enjoy the challenge of working with family members to keep them updated on their loved one’s condition or to keep a sick child company until his or her parents arrive.”

Wrench begins each shift by checking with Security and the charge nurse to find out about any emergent situations. She spends several hours visiting patients, ensuring that their belongings are secure that that they are as comfortable as possible while waiting for treatment or tests. She also assists family members, providing crossword books and puzzles for those in Crozer’s waiting room.

“I try to anticipate what the patient and his or her family need,” Wrench says. “I let the patient know what his or her doctor is doing and what tests he or she will need. I also provide directions to family members if their loved one is being transferred, so they won’t feel compelled to chase the ambulance all the way to Philadelphia.”

For Kearney, the ED concierge position provided an opportunity to help a third DCMH initiative off the ground.

“The ED concierge position is something new that’s never been done before at DCMH,” he says. “I previously worked on the Senior Advocate Program [a grant-funded position that was started at DCMH in 2002] and the Community Affairs initiative with the Upper Darby Police Department, which provided ‘Don’t be a Victim’ seminars to local residents.”

Kearney, who has been a paramedic for 30 years and worked at DCMH since 1989, also enjoys the challenge of the concierge position.

“As a paramedic, I’ve been trained to recognize whether or not people are critically ill,” he says. “As a result, I can tell when a person walks through the door if he needs to go directly to a room or if he can be treated in Fast Track. I truly enjoy keeping people happy in the ED and helping out the department as much as I can.”

With his medical experience, Kearney is also able to assist with hands-on patient care, performing such tasks as bandaging wounds and mobilizing broken bones.

The efforts of Kearney and Wrench have made a significant difference for ED staff members at Crozer and DCMH, according to the departments’ medical directors.

“Kitty provides an additional level of communication between the staff and the patient, which helps everyone in the ED perform their jobs better,” says Victor Heresniak, D.O., chairman of the Department of Emergency Medicine at Crozer. “Properly informing the patient and family are of utmost importance to us, and we’re happy that Kitty is able to provide this valuable service. She’s definitely affecting the department in a positive way.”

John F. Reilly Jr., D.O., chairman of the Department of Emergency Medicine at DCMH, agrees.

“Jack is able to relate to patients and their family members in a way that they appreciate and understand,” Reilly says. “He performs an important service that shows our patients that DCMH cares about them and wants them to understand their conditions. We’re extremely happy to have him available in his new capacity.”

For more information about Emergency Medicine services at Crozer-Keystone Health System, call 1-800-CK-HEALTH (1-800-254-3258).