Page 5 - KMAland Healthcare Heroes

KMAland 2021 A Salute to KMAland Healthcare Heroes 5

and have been in that state ever care for healthy patients and work and overall support. We were able
since. I admire David for knowing with coworkers. We had to navi- to vaccinate every employee who
we needed to MOVE on this and gate how to best test employees wanted the vaccine. It was great
start preparing sooner rather than in the safest way possible and test- to be on a team who navigated the

later. Life as we knew it was over. ing outside of the hospital in the ups and downs with determination
Everyone was given a role to play ambulance bay was implemented. I and cooperation with one another!
and we were all in agreement that fielded questions almost every eve- I know we are far from being out
this was serious business! ning and weekend. I was blessed of this pandemic, but I am feeling
The threat of this virus was real, to have a registered nurse from more and more like we can weather
it was coming and we had to try Population Health to assist me this storm. We’ve lost lives and
and prepare ourselves. We were with my workload. She was my people we loved and that is incred-
being inundated with informa- right hand and was able to screen a ibly sad. The grief we all feel for
tion from the Centers for Disease lot of issues for me. I am so thank- those lost is probably the hardest
Control and Prevention (CDC) ful for her and my other coworker part of all, but I feel like we will
and the Iowa Department of Public who kept everything else going come out on the other side stron-
Health. We had meetings daily while I was pulled away to man- ger and more capable than we’ve
in the beginning. There were so age this crisis. My job in Infection ever been. I am part of a team at
many aspects and angles in pre- Prevention which is normally just MCMH that can do about any-
paring to combat this new virus. part of my role, I also do Quality thing when challenged and does
New policies and processes had Improvement, became my primary it with strength and compassion.
to be devised and written for how role and I needed this other nurse It inspires me to remain strong
to handle suspect cases, how to dedicated to it as well. We were and ready for the next hurdle!
protect our patients, visitors and busy from morning to night every Most important – I am hopeful! I
employees, how to handle sick single day. We began seeing more think that the day will arrive when
employees, how to disinfect the and more cases and so many details COVID will be under control and
environment…the list went on and had to be handled. It was over- will be behind us but I’ll never for-
on. These policies all needed to be whelming. Many employees were get the lessons it taught me. I am
done quickly with limited informa- taken from their regular roles and hopeful.
tion. No one knew how this virus asked to do things they had never Kerry Schafer,
was going to behave. We needed done before. I was amazed at how MCMH Inpatient Services Manager
to write protocols for something well our employees accepted and
foreign that we knew very little adapted to their new roles – they OVID has had a strong
about. The challenge was unbeliev- knew what had to be done and impact on inpatient nurs-
able. I remember personally spend- were so resilient! There were ups Cing at MCMH. It brought
ing hours and hours at work putting and downs but we kept going. a shift in nearly every realm of
together protocols, forms and read- Vaccines rolled out around the profession, putting nurses on
ing about the virus. I was not alone. Christmas into mid-February and the frontlines against a virus that
Others were doing similar tasks. that was yet another mountain to is unpredictable and life alter-
It wasn’t long and we began see- climb. The teamwork that went ing. Nurses provided critical care
ing cases. This scared people and on between my department and to some of the most acutely ill
they no longer wanted to come to Population Health was phenome- patients to have ever been admit-
our facility, and virtual healthcare nal. I had nurses from other depart- ted to our facility throughout the

had to be implemented on the fly. ments pitching in to give vaccines. COVID-19 pandemic.
I had employees with everything I thought I would never get every- Working in healthcare requires
from a sniffle to fevers who were one vaccinated with two vaccines a substantial amount of flexibility,
concerned and needed tested. We at the right times but I had the which often encompasses unpre-
had to make sure we weren’t allow- best help anyone could ask for dictability. COVID is anything
ing potentially infected employees as far as scheduling, notifications but predictable, and nurses learned