Piedmont Columbus Regional has named Kim McMullen and Brandy Hines with CARE Ambulance as the organization’s First Friday Hero for the month of November.
 
McMullen and Hines responded to a call where an elderly man was traveling with his wife and passed out. The husband initially refused medical attention, but kept fainting. The paramedics rushed him to Piedmont Columbus Regional’s Midtown Campus Emergency Department for treatment.

The elderly couple was from north Alabama and was traveling through Columbus on their way to Florida to visit family. The wife, who suffers from Alzheimer’s, couldn’t be left alone while her husband was hospitalized. McMullen and Hines helped search for a hotel for her to stay with the family dog that was traveling with them. The paramedics made sure that hotel staff members kept watch over the elderly woman until other family members arrived to the area.

A ceremony with CARE Ambulance and hospital leadership will be held at a later date to commend McMullen and Hines for their response to this situation. Their story is also featured throughout the hospital on commemorative posters and Piedmont Columbus Regional’s social media pages.
 
Piedmont Columbus Regional created the First Friday Hero program in mid-2016, which is designed to recognize first responders on a monthly basis who have gone above and beyond the call of duty. Their line of work is often a thankless job and we want to make the community aware of our local heroes and all they do to make Columbus a better and safer place.