Denied Medical Treatment

Today, for the most part, was like any other. I worked on some administrative duties, helped the men with various services and participated in a meeting to help organize the interns in their daily activities. As I was helping a woman move her car I heard some ramblings from the men that there was a person bleeding all over the Center. I took it as an exaggerated story but when I walked in I found myself looking into the eyes of a young man with a two inch gash directly about his eybrow. This was no ordinary injury. From what he told me, I found out that he was drunk last night, jumped by a couple other men and hit with some sort of weapon. He waited until one o'clock today to take care of his problem. There is no doubt that the gash was a half inch deep and a third of an inch wide as well as being two inches long. Feeling my own forehead I could only conclude that there is not a half inch of skin and fat covering the skull. Wearing sterile gloves, David (a co-worker) and I placed a bandage over the young man's injury and I took him to Highland Hospital. There, I accompanied him as he signed up for the emergency room. When he found out that he was sixth in line and had to wait for an extended period of time he decided that he would not wait. No matter what I said to convince him he would not stay. After arguing for a short time I conceded and brought him to the park he requested. He would not even let me give him some clean clothes that were not covered in blood. As I dropped him off I watched him walk away with the only consolation that above all else we have free choice.
But really that does not make me feel any better. I wonder if I could have been more forceful. Maybe I should have left him at the hospital, with no other choice than to wait in the emergency room. Sometimes it may be helpful to take away the choice of others. He was not acting rational, was most likely still dazed from the whole experience. I had better judgment and more knowledge about the situation. At least he knows the address of the Center and has our phone number. And he was grateful to me for the help I gave him. I suppose this was a learning experience, like most others, in which I could have done a better job from where I am now.
On a lighter note I would like to share a simple yet profound experience from this morning. Before the work day started Tyrone gathered the interns together for morning prayer. As I looked around the cirlce of shared hands I realized I was the only person with a home and the only person with white skin. The surprising part of the experience is the fact that this did not phase me. If I would not have looked up and been in a contemplative state of mind, I would never have come to this realization. We often say that the Center is an excuse to create relationships. What we do not acknowledge is that we have created, through these relationships, a colorless, raceless venue in which to share our gifts, whatever those may be. It is for this experience that I am thankful for this day.