Care & Compassion in Action

Al Dawson had been feeling ill for several days. “I was tired and lethargic, just feeling yucky,” says the 81-year-old retired Spanish professor. Al finally went to see Dr. Lisa Zwerdlinger, a board-certified family practice physician who’s been Al’s doctor for more than 20 years. “She said right off that I didn’t look well and sent me immediately to St. Vincent Health,” remembers Al. “I was in bad shape.”

Dehydration had caused a serious and potentially deadly infection in Al’s kidneys. After staying close to a week in a Denver hospital, Al returned home only to soon have a recurrence of the infection that required him to stay two nights at St. Vincent Health.

“Everyone at the hospital was so kind and professional,” says Al. “Whatever they did—how they greeted me, treated me, looked in on me, cared for me—went well beyond the norm of what anyone would expect.”

Al also has high praise for Dr. Zwerdlinger, who also serves as Chief Medical Officer at St. Vincent Health. “There’s no doubt in my mind that Dr. Zwerdlinger is a genius,” says Al. “She’s always very clear when she communicates, and she has a very caring, human way of treating her patients. I really don’t have the words to express my deep thanks to Dr. Zwerdlinger and the entire staff at St. Vincent Health!”