Northwest Texas Hospital Offers Youth Healthy Futures

Amarillo’s Northwest Texas Hospital opened its doors and health care knowledge to students attending PILC’s Youth Encountering Success summer program.

The tour’s first stop was the Poison Control Center where Robbi Rivers talked about handling toxic substances. Sometimes, vitamins and medicines can be easily mistaken for candy. Certain cooking sprays and other liquids can look similar to wiper fluid or anti-freeze. Students were also introduced to some creepy crawlers like the Black Widow and Brown Recluse spiders.

A visit to the emergency room provided a look at the hospital’s rapid response to trauma patients. Renee Boyd explained the oxygen supply system, IV’s and monitoring equipment. One YES student even volunteered to be hooked up to a heart monitor for a real demonstration of measuring vital signs.

Students most enjoyed a chance to be up close and personal with the hospital’s Life Star helicopter. Crew members explained that a typical chopper team includes the pilot, a nurse and paramedic. Later, students met an ambulance driver who explained how they carry medical equipment that can save lives on the way to a hospital.

It was by far this year’s most educational field trip in which students learned that a hospital is much like a small city. Aside from caring for patients, the hospital has a food service, security force, hospital and vehicle maintenance, a helicopter pad and hanger, administrative staff, a chaplain and of course, just a few doctors and nurses hanging around.