Though the arc of people with confirmed cases of COVID-19 is going up as more individuals are tested, the curve of the average daily death toll appears to have flattened. This indicates that the act of social distancing will keep our ICU capacity from being overwhelmed as it was in Hunan and Italy. We can only hope.
A young man stood blocking the door. "I want to see your license," he said. I showed him. He examined it suspiciously and didn't move.
A caller had been suffering an itchy rash for a week. Three companions were also affected. That sounded good. When more than one person has a medical problem, it's the same problem and not serious.
Over the phone, a tour leader explained that one of his group wanted a doctor to look at her hand. She had fallen.
In summer, wearing a suit and tie, I'm reminded of how much I resent hotels that refuse to let me park free. I only learned that the Casa Del Mar didn't when the clerk declined to validate, and I was stuck for $20. But the Casa Del Mar is on the beach where it's cool enough to walk a few blocks without suffering.
A man at a Beverly Hills hotel had struck his head on the edge of a table. Blood was gushing, and he wanted a doctor.
A national housecall service informed me that a caller in Huntington Beach was having a panic attack. He had had them before, and he needed a doctor to come and make sure he wasn't dying.
A guest at the Westin wanted a doctor. I quoted the fee, always a tense moment. "Do you take insurance?" If the caller is American, the visit is doomed, but he wasn't. I asked the insurance carrier's name.
The decade began in 2010 with President Barack Obama signing into law a new health care bill. In 2016, Donald Trump was elected as president in one of the greatest upsets in political history. Today, consumer confidence continues to drive economic growth in 2020 based on a very strong labor and stock market, despite marginal business confidence.
"All insect bites look the same," I explained. Bedbug calls are tricky. Patients blame the hotel, so they are reluctant to pay the doctor. Confronted by an angry guest, hotels ask my help and often offer to pay my fee.
This article is an update of one published in honor of the Twenty-fifth anniversary of the Las Vegas International Tourism Security and Safety Conference. The 27th conference will be “reborn” on April 26-30, 2020 and it is hoped that the “mother conference” will spawn new interest in the importance of tourism security and safety around the world.
Twenty years ago I drove thirty-five miles to Pasadena to see a patient. When I opened the trunk to get my bag, it wasn't there. I had left it at home. I drove back to retrieve it.
"My son has a boil on his leg. Our doctor says he might need an antibiotic. Could you come to the hotel?" A boil is collection dead tissue, full of pus and germs. It has no blood supply, so an antibiotic can’t reach it. Antibiotics don’t cure boils.
More than "I'm having chest pain" or "my mother stopped breathing" the most stressful phrase a hotel doctor hears is "Do You Accept My Insurance?"
"I am constipated," said a guest with a thick French accent. "Constipation' means different things to different people," I said. "What exactly bothers you?" Silence…. When a caller doesn't answer, it usually means he doesn't understand.
A woman under treatment for infertility needed a progesterone shot every month. She had the vial. Could I send a nurse?
A man suffered a headache on his flight. After arriving at the hotel, he felt severe pain in his left ear. When he opened the door, I noticed that the left side of his face drooped.
"No one but my wife had crab cakes in the hotel restaurant last night, and about 4 a.m……" A miserable problem for the guest's wife but also a difficulty for me. The caller had no doubt that his wife was suffering food poisoning although no one can make that diagnosis unless more than one person gets sick. In developed countries, viral infections cause most upset stomachs.
First impressions have always meant a lot in the hospitality business. The door staff's brisk attentiveness, the concierge's cheerful professionalism, and the warm attention of check-in staff all contribute to a quality guest experience.
A few years ago, Quantas abruptly cancelled flights after an engine exploded. Other airlines followed.