From “ER” to “Chicago Med,” the Windy City has long provided the backdrop for an array of medical dramas.
Now, Chicago-based Presence Sts. Mary and Elizabeth Medical Center is using video to tell real-life dramatic tales through a series of mini-documentaries based on events in its emergency department.
The most recent film, “Brittany's Story,” was scheduled to debut Dec. 18. It's the story of Brittany Carminati, 34, a married mother of a toddler. Carminati went into cardiac arrest on Sept. 30, 2014, while walking to catch a train.
Brittany's story is the second mini-documentary Presence Health has produced. The film's primary audience is the system's clinical staff, said John Hennelly, strategy and growth officer for parent system Presence Health's Mid-City Region. “Too often, we find the clinicians are so focused on the moment that they aren't given the opportunity to appreciate the outcome,” Hennelly said.
Pedestrians who saw Carminati collapse came to her aid, with one passerby administering CPR until paramedics arrived. She was taken to Sts. Mary and Elizabeth, where doctors put her into an induced coma for two days. She stayed in the hospital for 10 days, until she made a full recovery.
Carminati herself was expected to attend the film's showing, as well as the pedestrians who helped her. Those individuals will receive Community Hero Awards for their rescue efforts.
