For Utlaut, Care under One Roof was Key to Recovery

December 11, 2023

What do you do when you have a medical crisis while you are traveling?

While some may have nightmares about this scenario, such was the case for Fred Utlaut, of Waverly, who experienced a medical crisis while traveling to California in September. But thanks to the hard work of Fitzgibbon Hospital and The Living Center staff, Utlaut is now making preparations to continue his recovery at home. He says that being able to receive diagnostic care, in-hospital care, skilled nursing and rehabilitation all under one roof by a staff of doctors, nurses and physical therapists have been key to his recovery.

Utlaut’s experience reveals the success that the continuum of care provided by Fitzgibbon Hospital and The Living Center can deliver.

“I was on a walker, and we went to California on vacation on Sept. 15,” recalled Utlaut. “I was there about two days and I just kept getting weaker. By Thursday I couldn’t get out of bed.”

            Utlaut was transported to Scripps Memorial Hospital in La Jolla, Cal., outside San Diego, where medical workers began the hard task of detecting just what was happening. Over the next two weeks, Utlaut was in intensive care in the Southern California hospital.

            “They proceeded to ‘go fish’ and find out why I was there,” said Utlaut. “Every part of my body was tested. They did everything they could to track down what was wrong with me. After two weeks they transferred me to their skilled nursing unit.”

            Ultimately, they discovered that a problem with Utlaut’s kidneys led to the episode. However, his blood pressure was too low to undergo dialysis.

Having a long hospital stay in a city that is not your home certainly can cause stress to loved ones who are making sure the homestead is taken care of while you are away. It was then that Utlaut made a call to see about getting transferred to Fitzgibbon Hospital to continue his care. He had been in the California hospital for a month when he made the call.

            “They got us transferred pretty quickly, and we are very thankful for that. I didn’t want to have to begin therapy in San Diego,” said Utlaut. “But we had to have a skilled nursing unit that the hospital there would approve of.”

            A medical transport service was contracted, and Utlaut was transferred to the Marshall airport. The plane used was former Pittsburgh Steeler quarterback Terry Bradshaw’s former plane, so Utlaut laughed that the flight was “worth the expense.”

            “It was so touching that the family was there at the Marshall airport with signs for Fred when he landed,” said Utlaut’s wife, Leslie, who had been by her husband’s side from the beginning.

Utlaut was transferred from the airport to Fitzgibbon Hospital, where Lorenzo Romney, D.O., Darin Haug, D.O., and nursing staff went to work combing through hundreds of pages of medical records provided by Scripps Memorial to ascertain the level of care Utlaut would need. In the end, the decision was made to continue care rather than transferring him to a facility in Kansas City or Columbia.

            “I was in the Med/Surg unit for about two weeks while they worked to figure out what was going on with me,” said Utlaut. Then they transferred me to The Living Center where I could receive skilled nursing care and rehabilitation.”

            When asked if Utlaut had individuals who provided excellent care that he wanted to identify his answer was this:

            “There were just too many to mention. They were all working together and just provided such great care,” said Utlaut. “We are tickled to death that a therapist from Fitzgibbon Rehabilitation is even going to come to our home and see what we are going to need to continue my recovery once I am released.”

            In all, Ultaut receive care coordination, radiology and lab testing, hospitalization within the Med/Surg department, pharmacy services, care within the skilled nursing unit at The Living Center and physical and occupational therapy from Fitzgibbon Rehabilitation. All departments working seamlessly in what medical experts call a “continuum of care.” This coordination is something that Utlaut says is key to his successful recovery and is unique to the Fitzgibbon experience.

            “The size of Fitzgibbon Hospital and The Living Center makes it right to get really good care and to be paid attention to,” said Utlaut. “It is not like you are on the ‘third floor of the fourth wing at the end of a hall’ where they may or may not come when you need them.”