Utah Nurse Praises CRMC Staff

August 13, 2019

Ron and Jean Fletcher were traveling from Wichita Falls, Texas back to their home in Salt Lake City when Jean began feeling ill.

“We had a flat tire so we stopped in Denver to get new tires and some lunch,” Ron said. The plan was to then continue home from there, until Jean’s health took a turn. “She just put her head down on the table in distress and I knew something wasn’t right.”

Nonetheless, they continued with their journey, as Jean was insistent on making it back to Salt Lake City so she could visit her regular physician, but when they got closer to Cheyenne, she knew that would not be possible.

“We were about 30 miles south of Cheyenne and I decided that we had better stop, so I got on my phone and did a search and that’s how we found Cheyenne Regional Medical Center,” Jean said.

Ron and Jean Fletcher on their last day at CRMC.

Jean – a registered nurse for more than 30 years at the University of Utah and recipient of the Utah State Nursing Association award – says she and her husband can be quite meticulous when it comes to choosing a health care facility.

“When we got to the Emergency Department, we were immediately impressed – with the facility, the room, just everything. It was so well-equipped and everyone was so attentive. We know hospitals. We’re familiar with what’s good and what’s bad and this facility is great,” Ron said.

And it wasn’t just the care they liked. Everything from low food costs to the location of the cafeteria also impressed them.

“Having the cafeteria centrally located for the patients and the employees is meaningful to me. At some hospitals, you have to walk for blocks and blocks before you can find the cafeteria,” Ron said.

Aside from working in a hospital for decades, Jean has also experienced hospitals as a patient. She struggled with heart problems for years and only had a pacemaker implanted in March. Having already been working with cardiologists at home, Jean was hoping to make it back to Salt Lake City and continue her treatment there. However, CRMC cardiologist Dr. Umer Saleem advised against her traveling until they could pinpoint exactly what was causing her pain and until she was stabilized.

“We wish we didn’t have to stop, but if you have to just drop in to a hospital, CRMC is the place to go. No question,” Ron said.