Coronavirus a year later from the eyes of hospital professionals
By Natalie Barr
ALEXANDRIA, Va.-- Virginia’s governor declared a state of emergency last year due to the coronavirus. From that moment forward, Alexandria Hospital’s staff were forever changed, according to Dr. Ruth Lee, senior nursing director.
Alexandria community puts a sign of admiration outside of INOVA Alexandria Hospital, street view sign April 2020, in Alexandria, Va. Photo submitted by Dr. Ruth Lee.
The first COVID-19 patient in Alexandria was admitted to Alexandria Hospital on March 11, 2020, Dr. Jeremy Graf, chief medical officer, said. Frontline workers received education on how to care for patients with COVID-19, but they were not fully prepared for the days ahead, according to Graf.
The heartache and uncertainty of the early days of COVID-19 will remain with the Alexandria staff, according to Lee. Staff continue to grapple with the fears and experiences from the early days of COVID-19, Lee said.
Lee recalled feeling hopeless after losing her first COVID-19 patient last year. With tears in her eyes, she remembered doing everything possible, yet patients still passed. Lee said she will never forget those patients.
“We saw so many patients die, and their families weren’t with them,” Lee said. “We used Zoom to stay connected, but many patients passed away with only nurses present.”
During the early stages of the pandemic, information on COVID-19 changed frequently. New guidelines were released constantly, according to Graf. He knew trust was key.
“We sent daily COVID-19 updates to all departments,” Graf said. “We knew staff would want to see the data. The updates proved the data and information were real because all staff could see it for themselves.”
The early days of the pandemic were emotionally and physically draining, according to Lee. She had a mantra to start off her day and often repeated it to herself.
“I need to come into the hospital smiling, have a positive mindset and show strong leadership,” Lee said.
Daryl Walker, a senior director of essential support services, said he faced a different set of problems.
“Many of the employees I oversee come from minority communities -- Black and Latino,” Walker said. “These same groups are fearful of the government when it comes to public health. There’s a lot of unresolved history there.”
Essential support personnel feared cleaning hospital rooms and delivering food to COVID-19 units, even though they were not in direct contact with COVID-19 patients, according to Walker.
“I knew I had to step up as a leader and prove to them it was okay,” Walker said. “I am a Black man, myself, in the same risk category as them. I had to show them that if they had their masks on, they wouldn’t get sick from COVID-19 just because they were on a COVID floor.”
One of the biggest staff concerns, especially in the early stages of the pandemic, was the availability of personal perspective equipment, according to Walker.
“I always felt proud knowing I helped keep our PPE stock at a high level,” Walker said. “When people saw a full stockpile, they felt safer at work. That’s all I wanted.”
Dr. Sharon Confessore, a healthcare consultant experienced in resiliency, said hospitals needed to ensure staff felt supported. The trauma related to this pandemic was tough for every single person in the hospital, according to Confessore.
“It won’t be a one-size-fits-all fix on how to best support hospital employees,” Confessore said. “It’s definitely not going to be solved overnight. It’s a national problem that must be addressed.”
Lee said she is hopeful moving forward because nurses are less fearful and more positive.
“We aren’t experiencing nurse turnover at the numbers we had last year,” Lee said. “It’s so important to retain our experienced nurses. It means our work environments are healthier and happier.”
COVID-19 is still a big part of the Alexandria community. Approximately 110 new COVID-19 cases have been reported in the past two weeks, as reported by the Virginia Department of Health. Despite continuing cases, Walker feels encouraged and hopeful for the future.
“I’ve been helping with vaccine coordination for our community and staff,” Walker said. “I can see the end, but we need to keep focused. We can’t give up now and erase all the progress we made.”
Graf is pleased that Alexandria Hospital was able to keep deaths from COVID-19 lower than expected. The hospital is so much better than a year ago, Graf said.
“I am proud of all the work from the Alexandria Hospital staff,” Graf said. “It was tough, but everyone had the same end-goal to save lives.”