No -this isn’t a downer, unless you really think about it.
The other day I went to see a doctor for a quick visit, nothing serious. The office is located in a large hospital not far from my house. The doctor is well-known and respected locally, and in our neighboring city. I sat waiting, in one of those little rooms – alone, with the door open. This doctor has a large suite of offices, and the bank of little rooms where my room was, has access to one of the hospital hallways. Consequently, I could hear loudspeaker announcements- you know the kind -”Dr. So-and-So, stat!” – the usual.
But one announcement was different: “Attention! Attention! This is an Emergency Disaster Drill! Follow your emergency plans!” This was repeated six times.
I expected to be politely but QUICKLY shuffled out of the suite and outside the building or to a room on a lower floor, or at least to have someone come into the room and tell me what to do.
No.
At first, no one said anything. And that’s a lot of nothing said, because in my doctor’s suite there are more than 10 people working, plus patients. No one said anything. Then a voice came from a room down the hall from mine: “Are we supposed to leave?”
Hmmm. Interesting concept. I put my coat on and was ready to go. No one said anything. No one answered that patient. Then the lousdpeaker squawked again – and made the same announcement six more times.
A nurse stood outside my door, talking to the receptionist: “Should we do something?”
“Uh, that woman told us she’d bring the plan, uh, last week,” said the receptionist. She continued, “But she didn’t come back.”
“OK, that’s OK. It’s a drill. Forget about it – we’ll just stay here.”
A couple of other conversations took place inside the suite, and also outside in the hallway. All of the speakers were at a loss: what to do? No one came to get me. No one left the suite. When the Doctor came in, he told me,”Oh, they never told us what to do. We’ll just shelter in place.” And he laughed.
I tried to rustle up a laugh. Good thing I was out of there in fifteen minutes, and I have no plans to return for at least a year. Maybe they’ll know what to do by then?
