As the COVID-19 virus swept across Massachusetts and Rhode Island, there was a time in mid-April when the number of cases in Fall River and New Bedford surprised the epidemiologists. While other mid-sized cities in the state were in emergency mode with many new cases, the infection rates in the cities of New Bedford and Fall River were noticeably lower than those in cities of similar size. Today, in the ever-evolving crisis, the cities and surrounding towns have caught up a bit. Still, the pandemic is being managed by dedicated teams of health workers and officials.
As Damon Chaplin, Director of New Bedford’s Health Department says, “There are things that are happening so quickly. Information is changing so quickly. We’re reactive right now, so we want to get into a proactive state.”
Steward Medical Group, which has hospitals throughout the United States (including St Anne’s Hospital in Fall River and Morton Hospital in Taunton), began taking proactive steps early. Since the beginning of the outbreak, these two hospitals have collaborated and sorted out their patients, with Morton treating diagnosed COVID-19 patients and St. Anne’s acting as an isolation facility while still dealing with other emergencies. Fifty-five nurses from Saint Anne’s volunteered to work at Morton in the ICU where they have taken 8-12 hour shifts day and night.
Patients arriving at the hospitals with serious symptoms are tested immediately and sent to Morton. Others with less-severe symptoms are tested and sent home and told to self-isolate or they can be isolated at the hospital. Their test results come back in 12 hours.
Together, Six Feet Apart
“In a crisis, people come together,” says Cheryl Carole Billington, Chief Nursing Officer and Chief Operating Officer at Saint Anne’s. “Our list of nurse volunteers willing to work at Morton was developed within hours.” She says this meant new roles for many workers at both hospitals, so there was a need for flexibility and enhanced support.
She adds, “Caring for very sick or dying patients is very emotional and consuming. Our nurses worry about their patients and their own families.” Seeing a need, Steward Health Care arranged for individual and group therapy sessions for the nurses, and Billington found a free classical music link that many of them listen to when they take a break. Also, thinking creatively, the Pediatric Rehab staff at Saint Anne’s shared with everyone a three-month calendar of activities and physical movements that cooped-up children and stressed workers say have been invaluable.
One other lift that has meant a lot to the staff at Saint Anne’s is the addition of nurses who are in their senior year of nursing school and have had to forego classes that have been cancelled. Instead, they are getting hands-on experience by working at area hospitals. Billington says their help has been crucial.
At Saint Luke’s Hospital in New Bedford and Charlton Memorial Hospital in Fall River, Emergency Medical Services (EMS), the environmental staff, nurses, and doctors have been working for weeks under challenging conditions. Southcoast Health writes, “We are so thankful for our amazing nurses. Their dedication, sense of humor, and the example they set for those inside and outside [the hospital] is awe-inspiring.” They say that one way to show support for their work is to purchase and display a large red Southcoast Health flag or to show red in some public way (red lights are popular). Another is to “pay it forward” and perform a simple act of kindness during the day. Challenge your friends to do the same.
In closing, here are the words of Chelsey Howard, RN, who works in the frontlines at Charlton Hospital. “I never in a million years would have thought this would be my reality, working on a COVID unit in the middle of a pandemic just two years out of nursing school. This is a scary time for all of us, and I’ll admit, I am anxious every time I go to work, worried of the unknown. But the outpouring of support from loved ones, friends, co-workers, and the community have been overwhelming. I’ve never been so proud to be a part of such an amazing team. Stay strong everyone, we’re in this together – just six feet apart.”
