By Haley Gehrig
Junior, English Education, IUPUI
Many kids grow up believing that their parents are superheroes. I was always one of those kids. The outbreak of COVID-19 has proven those beliefs to be true.
My mother is Patrice Gehring, RN, BSN, CEN. She is a seasoned nurse with 30 years of experience under her belt, 24 of those being in the emergency department, all of which were spent with Franciscan Health serving the Southside of Indianapolis. When the first case of COVID-19 was confirmed in Indiana her devotion to the well being of the people of Indianapolis never wavered. She involved herself as much as possible, picking up extra shifts and volunteering to work COVID designated areas. With lots of contradictory and confusing information about the effect the coronavirus is having on hospitals and patients, I felt called to share an authentic account of what a local hospital is experiencing during this pandemic. This is my mom’s story.
Since the first confirmed case of COVID-19 in Indiana, hospitals around the state have worked to prepare for the anticipated overwhelming number of COVID-19 patients; Franciscan Health was among those hospitals. One of the obvious changes have been with protocols. First, Patrice and her coworkers are screened for a fever upon entering the hospital and then given a surgical mask. Second, what is perhaps one of the greater issues across American hospitals right now, is the change of standards regarding the use of N95 masks.
"Typically, N95 masks are used once per patient,” Patrice explained. “Now, we use the same mask for an entire shift and leave them under UV lights to use again our next shift.”
Patrice explained that UV light is supposed to kill germs on the masks so they become sterile again. Each mask is then used for three shifts before being thrown away.
“Since we have so many COVID-19 patients, we can’t – the hospital can’t – keep up with the demand of N95 masks if we follow the usual guidelines of getting a new mask after every patient.”
While the CDC has released new guidelines to aid hospitals in adapting to the shortage of masks, the agency admits that their suggestions need further study.
The unknown as to how protected nurses and doctors are by following these practices is unsettling, but without enough masks healthcare workers are left with no choice but to make some effort in reusing masks.
Like most, if not all hospitals, Franciscan Health has also made changes to their visitation policy. Prior to the outbreak, there were little restrictions on visitors. Now, no matter the patient’s reason for being at the hospital, they are not permitted to have any visitors, of any relation or age. This has been hard for family members, as it leaves those severely sick with COVID-19 having to pass away without having their families by their bedside and often alone in the hospital.
This has been one of the hardest parts of being a nurse during this outbreak for my mother. Tearing up, Patrice recalls an instance where she had to tell the wife of one of her patients that her husband was not going to make it, and had to listen to the wife call her daughter to tell her that her father was going to die.
“It’s just so hard to watch a family go through that,” Patrice said. “You just imagine what it would be like to have to die alone in a hospital, or have your spouse or parent die alone in the hospital. It is lonely. As a nurse, all you can do is make sure the patient is comfortable and be their family in that moment.”
The hospital has undergone physical transformations, too. A large medical tent has been set up for COVID patients and designated COVID hallways in the emergency department have been established all in an attempt to contain the spread.
“We have the COVID patients who arrive and need critical care right away in their own hallway within the department,” Patrice explained. “They are in the set of rooms that have toilets within the rooms to keep contamination out of the restrooms if possible. The patients in the tent aren’t in as bad of shape as the ones we keep in the regular department. The tents are used more for evaluation of the COVID-suspected patient. It just really allows for more space for the patients who need critical attention in the traditional department.”
Another COVID addition Franciscan Health has employed is drive-thru testing. Drive-thru testing is becoming a wide-spread practice for individuals who have minimal symptoms or suspect exposure. There are differing guidelines for the various drive-thru testing locations. For Franciscan Health – Indianapolis Campus, those who come to the drive-thru to be tested must have a doctor’s order, otherwise they have to be processed through the emergency room.
“When the person arrives at the drive-thru, they stay in their car and one of two nurses assigned to the drive-thru will approach the vehicle – no one leaves the car,” my mom explained. “We [the nurse(s)] are fully dressed in our PPE,” Patrice explains. “We then take the doctor’s order from the patient. We preform the nasal swab. We label the test and it is placed to be sent off to the lab. We don’t do the testing at St. Francis, and it normally takes between 24 – 48 hours for results to get back.”
A 24- to 48-hour turnaround time for testing is much quicker than it was at the beginning of the outbreak. This is great, especially considering how important test results are in figuring out who needs to self-isolate.
Through it all, my mom says there is one thing everyone should pay attention to.
“Stay home!” she says. “I cannot – I just really – it is just so selfish to – it really is just hurtful. I understand people are struggling financially and I wish they weren’t. But, the only way to minimize the damage this virus will do, as it has done – I promise, it has done damage, and it knows no age or status – is to stay home. And that doesn’t mean go to your neighbor’s house, or to your grandparent’s house. It means to stay in YOUR home. Please. I know you’re lonely – I haven’t seen my grandson in over a month. I’m lonely too. But please, we all care about your health and safety, and it is truly hurtful to see people being reckless when myself and my coworkers are putting our lives and our families’ lives on the line every time we step foot into the hospital. We will be who you depend on, who your family depends on, because you didn’t stay home.”
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