ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Tuesday, January 9, 1996 TAG: 9601100043
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: A-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: RICHARD FOSTER STAFF WRITER
NOTE: Below
Think it's unusual for a doctor to make a house call these days? What about one who skis to your door?
Late Sunday, after heavy road equipment failed to get emergency medical volunteers to a call in Big Island, Dr. George Wortley packed a medical kit and made a three-mile trek across hilly, snow-covered Bedford County terrain to help a woman who was having trouble breathing after an allergic reaction.
"We tried our best to get there the easy way," said Wortley, a volunteer with the Big Island Emergency Crew. Unfortunately, a Virginia Department of Transportation vehicle and a National Guard military transport vehicle were getting stuck on the mountain roads.
"Both the VDOT grader and the National Guard's all-terrain Humvee couldn't get through. But a 20-year-old pair of cross-country skis could," said Wortley, 43. "It was kind of a low-tech approach."
Wortley, who is from upstate New York, hadn't been cross-country skiing for years, but it all came back to him.
"It was kind of a fun trip," he said. "It was a beautiful night with a full moon, just a little cold. There were 4-foot drifts in places. The people were sure surprised to see me when I came to the door."
The patient was feeling much better Monday morning, he said.
Wortley, who is medical director of the Big Island Medical Clinic, said he's ready to answer other emergency calls by ski until rescue vehicles can get through. But next time, he's taking some help.
"I'm the only one who had cross-country skis up here," he said. "But I've still got some snowshoes left over from when I lived in New York. I think anybody can learn to use those."
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