On Monday, January 17 at 9 a.m., Reading Hospital Emergency Department physician Joshua Rosen, MD, was presented the Citizenship Award from the Pennsylvania State Police for his assistance on scene at an automobile accident. The presentation took place at Reading Hospital 5th Avenue Conference Center. Captain Thomas Tran presented the award to Dr. Rosen. Also in attendance at the event was Monica Genovese the patient Dr. Rosen helped treat at the accident scene.
On January 7, 2021, Dr. Rosen, on his way home from an overnight shift in the Reading Hospital Emergency Department (ED), came upon an automobile accident as EMS, the fire department, and police were also arriving. Noticing a significant amount of damage to the vehicle he suspected anyone in the car may have sustained life-threatening injuries.
Dr. Rosen said, “Accident scenes are inherently more chaotic and dangerous than the Emergency Department. It is astounding to me how first responders can converge on a scene and work together to create order and harmony out of danger and chaos. Things moved a lot faster on the scene than in the ED. Decisions had to be made more quickly with less information available to make those decision. In the field you must trust your clinical instincts while you are in unfamiliar surroundings.”
At the accident scene the police were responsible for scene safety, the fire department was responsible for extracting the patient from the vehicle, and EMS was responsible for caring for the patient. At the scene Dr. Rosen functioned as the medical command physician. He assisted in stabilizing the patient and communicated with the hospital team to activate a trauma alert and prepare for the patient’s arrival.
“I cannot stress enough how incredible the EMS providers were at delivering care,” Dr. Rosen added. “I see them when they deliver the patient to me in the Emergency department, and I have always had an immense amount of respect for the job they do and the risks that they take. Seeing how they were able to provide care during a chaotic accident scene was an experience that will stay with me for the rest of my life. They deserve so much credit and admiration for their professionalism, compassion, and sacrifice to the patients and the community.”
“I commend Dr. Rosen for his remarkable efforts at the accident scene,” said Brian Lahmann, MD, Chair, Department of Emergency Medicine at Reading Hospital. “He has been a respected member of the Reading Hospital ED team since 2019 and his attention and dedication to our community, both in and out of the hospital, has never waivered.”
“We thank Dr. Joshua Rosen for his exemplary willingness and service to save another life,” said Captain Thomas E. Tran, Troop L Commanding Officer. “The Pennsylvania State Police thanks him for going above and beyond the call of duty.”
