LAUGHLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Texas -- Capt. Kimera Joseph, a 47th Healthcare Operations Squadron pediatrician, was chosen by wing leadership to be the “XLer of the week” of Oct. 21, 2019 at Laughlin Air Force Base, Texas.
During a routine checkup on a three month old infant, she identified a life threatening infection and coordinated a rapid transfer of care and medical evacuation to a Neonatal Intensive Care unit in San Antonio, Texas.
“I had really no other indications on examination because the baby looked well, was feeding well and did great, just the numbers were off,” Joseph said. “I thought that something was definitely off. After the child heart rate was slowing every time I checked I got in contact with the San Antonio Children’s Hospital and they were able to help. This was definitely a huge team effort.”
Joseph also leads the pediatrics team with more than 270 appointments, providing approx. $233,000 worth of care and receiving a 98-percent patient satisfaction rating, ranking them #1 in the command.
“I think when you listen and hear the concerns that families have they really appreciate that someone cares,” Joseph said. “I haven’t been here for very long but mainly what I do day-to-day is immunizations. Even though the clinic is on a time schedule, I try to not rush a family and I give them as much time as I’m allotted to address their concerns and accommodate them.”
Joseph has earned this “XLer of the Week” for saving the life of an infant and helping the pediatrics flight to reach “XL-ent” rates of patient satisfaction.