You’re Not The Only One Getting An F Here

I started coughing one day at work and, though it felt like an asthma attack, I woke up the next day with a fever. With the health crisis raging, I went to the local clinic to get tested. I live in a “company town,” and this clinic served the needs of the company employees.

I got tested, and the clinic portal sent me a message that the result was “F”. I didn’t know what “F” meant, so I used the portal messaging to ask for clarification. I got no response.

As a first responder (trainer for rescue teams), this upset me. I needed to know if I had the illness or not and if I should be quarantined. I called the clinic, only to be put on perpetual hold. Now, I was mad.

I messaged the clinic through the portal that if I didn’t get a response, I would file a complaint with the State Medical Board. The response from the Chief of Staff: “Let him file.”  

My complaint is now working its way through the system. The county health department called me a few hours later to let me know I should quarantine — a few hours that I could have spent in public, spreading the illness.