On December 2, Yonkers resident Colleen Navedo called 911 after her husband Lewis complained he was not feeling well. His blood pressure was dangerously low and he began to feel lightheaded as Colleen spoke to the 911 dispatchers. The Navedos are no strangers to medical emergencies. Mr. Navedo had a kidney transplant several years ago and he also suffers from diabetes. He often went to a large medical center for healthcare in the past. But this particular night, Mr. Navedo didn’t have the time to get there. He needed immediate attention and the ambulance raced him to St. John’s Riverside Hospital’s ER. Upon arrival, sixteen-year veteran RN Selena Wallace was the fi rst to meet with Mr. Navedo. She quickly observed his shallow breathing, pale complexion and confusion. As he began to lose consciousness, Nurse Wallace, ER attending Dr. Lawrence Dubensky, off-duty nursing director Josiane Hickson as well as off-duty physician Dr. Eric Nazziola sprang into action. They all worked together to resuscitate, stabilize and eventually move Mr. Navedo to the ICU. “Although the ER was busy, it was as if my husband was the only patient based on the attention he received, I never expected St. John’s would be able to handle my husband’s medical crisis with such expert care. At every turn, every single employee we encountered exceeded our expectations. We were amazed.” exclaimed Colleen Navedo.
