From pain to purpose: a journey in the emergency room
Terry Gould, a Paradise Valley Judge, has always worked hard to be a problem solver. Whether in law, business or life’s personal challenges, he knows how to approach issues with a clear mind and a vision for better outcomes. This is a perspective he carried into his experience at the HonorHealth Scottsdale Osborn Medical Center’s emergency department at 2 AM one March morning.
After being in excruciating pain for a couple of hours, Terry finally agreed with his wife, Mary Ellen (both pictured right), to go to the Osborn emergency room, where he had been treated since January. The discomfort had become overwhelming, but little did he know, this would be the beginning of an additional 3-month journey not just to healing, but to transformation for himself and the Osborn community.
Upon arriving, he was quickly greeted and asked to be seated in the waiting room. It was a busy night, with many emergencies. Patients were draped over armchairs trying to find a way to lie down. Others, like Terry, were squeezed into small wheelchairs. After hours of waiting in a chair, which added to his pain, Terry was discouraged. Given the volume of patients, he couldn’t get any information, such as an estimate of additional wait time, relief for the pain or even a sip of water to wet his very dry lips.
The sparks of change
When Terry finally got a room and was seen by the doctor, everything changed. The care was swift, efficient and thorough. Once he recovered, he saw, for the good of the patients and the hospital, the ER had so much potential for improvement; but only if someone was willing to address the issues at their core. His vision and willingness to speak up sparked a desire to be part of a solution, not just for himself but for every patient who would walk through those ER doors.
“It was two vastly different experiences,” he noticed. “The care, once in a treatment room was phenomenal; but the waiting room had to make critical changes. I understood some of the unique issues an ER waiting room presented, and asked, how can we change not only the tactical components but put a new system in place for a better ER experience?”
A partnership of collaboration
Determined to help, Terry tapped into his relationship with the HonorHealth Foundation and his gift officer, Vice President of Major Gifts, Margo Burdick. Together they assembled a team, including Osborn Medical Center leadership, to address some of the challenges and concepts for a new way forward, inspired by Terry’s experience and his desire to bring this transformation to fruition.
He had worked with the Foundation for years, helping in various ways, but this time he had a new goal: to transform the ER waiting room. After all, the ER was a lifeline and first impression for many, and if he could make it more efficient, comfortable and patient-friendly, he knew it would have a lasting impact.
Terry met with a group of hospital leaders, including the former head of the ER, the chief operating officer and key administrative executives. With the same problem-solving mindset that had fueled his legal and business career, Terry laid out a plan. It was simple but effective: to create better communication with patients, improve waiting conditions, provide comfort and make the triage process faster and more effective. The group listened. And more importantly, took action on his ideas and developed a plan.
Small changes but big impact
The first changes were small but important: positioning security personnel to guide patients upon arrival, adding personnel at the window who could actually help patients, improving the seating with custom-designed reclining chairs that were both comfortable and functional for those in pain (they can hold IV bags and be sanitized), and adding a staffed secondary waiting area where actual treatment could start even if a room wasn’t available; such as administering IV’s and pain meds, if appropriate. Water coolers were added in waiting areas and a more streamlined triage system was implemented.
It wasn’t just about comfort and compassion. It was adding to the excellent medical care Osborn’s Level One Trauma Center is well known to provide. Terry knew patient care starts long before the doctor walks in. It begins with an atmosphere of respect, where patients feel seen, heard and cared for, even in their discomfort.
The changes didn’t happen overnight, but they did happen. Over the course of a year, Terry’s vision came to life. Patients were receiving pain management sooner, there was clarity on wait times and most importantly, the space was now designed to make people feel comfortable and heard.
A prototype for the future
When Terry learned his efforts might be turned into a prototype for other hospitals, he couldn’t help but feel proud. This was more than a personal victory — it was a victory for every patient who would benefit from these changes, a victory for the medical staff that now have a better working environment and a victory for his community.
Looking back on his emergency, Terry realized that his painful experience had ignited something far bigger than he imagined. He could have walked away, choosing to seek future care elsewhere. But instead, he chose to stay, to problem-solve, to make things better for those who would come after him. And in doing so, he didn’t just help fix a system — he helped create a legacy of care that could change the way ERs operate across the entire network.
“I believe sometimes you’re put in a situation where you will be the catalyst for change,” Terry said, “My experience wasn’t everyone’s experience, but I’m happy to know any patient can have a better wait experience thanks to this HonorHealth team listening, respecting suggestions and implementing real changes. It may have started with my ideas, but it is the hospital staff that put it together and have made it work. I have been told during the short time these changes have been in effect, the feedback from patients has been very positive.”
Terry has always lived by the principle: when you see an opportunity to do good, you seize it. Nothing happens until you make it happen. And in that moment, he did just that—igniting a blueprint for more efficient ER care for everyone.
This story originally appeared in the Summer 2025 issue of Reflections of Honor.