The Dartmouth Hitchcock Lyme Clinic had barely opened on October 1st, 2025 when a distressed woman rushed into the clinic.
While emergency response is not a typical part of the Lyme Clinic team’s work, their confidence in their nursing and their Dartmouth Health training allowed them to provide exceptional care under unexpected circumstances.
How the story unfolded inside the clinic
In reception, Cameron Greatorex was the first to see the distressed woman come in.
The woman explained that her car and another vehicle had crashed and were without cell service to call for help.
Clinical nurse supervisor Nicole Wyse, BSN RN, who was conducting her regular oversight check-in at the clinic, and Samantha Druckenmiller, RN, and Judy Belyea, LNA, hurried to assist.
Wyse directed Greatorex to call emergency services while the two nurses assessed the woman for injuries.
Then, Druckenmiller and Belyea went out to the road to check on the other driver.
Meanwhile, outside…
“One of the cars had flipped and was in the middle of the road upright, and then the other car was the one that the other driver was still in,” Wyse says.
Wyse stopped traffic.
“We were the first people on scene,” Wyse says. “Sammie and Judy immediately went to the other victim’s side, who was still in the vehicle at that time, and assessed for any injuries.”
A few minutes later, police and EMS arrived.
“Sammy has an EMS/EMT background, and so that was really helpful,” Wyse says. “I think being in a leadership role, helped me lead the team and provide the guidance where people were needed.”
The woman who had come into the clinic left with EMS for additional evaluation at the hospital.
The second driver was actually on their way to an appointment at the Lyme Clinic and was able to be checked out more extensively during that time.
The end result
“We stopped everything that we were doing to address the situation,” Wyse says. The incident had prevented other patients from entering the clinic, so once everyone was allowed in, Wyse helped the nursing team catch up.
“I don't love those high-intensity situations. It was a really good testament to the team really working together and communicating with each other, communicating with EMS when they arrived, communicating with the clinic itself about what was going on.”
Neither driver was severely injured, but one was a well-known patient, so that added emotional weight to the care provided.
“I think in this situation, everybody did an incredible job, and I'm very proud of the team and how everything came together,” Wyse says. “I'm just really proud of the team and owning their work and being able to adapt in that situation. The dedication of the team to the clinic, to their patients, and to the other staff is just incredible,” Wyse says.
This article first appeared in the Winter 2026 edition of Connections under the title "Teamwork in Action" and has been edited for the web.