LA/OC IAHSS Recognizes Hospital Security Officers for Saving Lives, Outstanding Performances

Award recipient Shawn Anderson of UCLA Health Ronald Reagan Security Department.

On Wednesday, Aug. 21, 2019, while traveling through the UCLA Ronald Reagan east lobby, Shawn Anderson encountered a person in obvious physical distress. Shawn quickly approached the gentleman and asked if she could help and if he was having chest pain. Though the gentleman could not fully communicate his status, what he was able to convey quickly sprang Shawn into enacting emergency protocols. Shawn then communicated to dispatch that assistance was needed.

She quickly recognized that a wheelchair was nearby, advised the man, who at that time had dropped to his knees, that she was walking away to retrieve the wheelchair that was 20 feet away. Upon her return, she assisted the man into the wheelchair and, without haste, rushed him to the ER. While doing so, employees along the corridors quickly aided her by moving to the side and holding doors open.

Upon arrival to the ED, Shawn shouted for assistance while maneuvering the patient into one of the ED trauma rooms. The UCLA medical staff quickly provided emergency services to the patient who was later transferred to the cardiac ICU where he recovered.

Shawn’s actions aided in saving the gentleman’s life.