RSR Goes On the Front Line Of COVID-19

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Exclusive Interview by Kimberly “KG” Farrell

I live in a medium-sized midwestern town. Here in our little hamlet, we have one hospital serving a community of roughly 75,000 residents. It is a good hospital, with an excellent reputation and is the town’s largest employer. In addition, we have a large number of home health workers. My friend and neighbor Lee, works as a Med Technician (administering medication to patients) in a home health setting. She is one of a team of people providing care to two individuals who require it around-the-clock. We are all familiar with the needs of PPE in a hospital setting but rarely think of those requirements in a home health setting. We should. These are people who live and work in our communities. I recently had the opportunity to sit across the fence from Lee and ask about life in home health during COVID-19.

When is the first time you remember hearing about a new strain of Coronavirus impacting cities in the United States? What if anything did your employer tell you about it?

I was at home and saw something on the news but had to report to work shortly after I heard it. We were told, the staff and patients were required to wear protective masks at all times, until testing was completed. The patients, who are both mobile, were not allowed to leave their house for the first 8 weeks of the pandemic.

What changed after the arrival of COVID-19?

We did make a few changes to procedures. For instance, instead of just washing our hands we now handle all medications with gloves. We take temperatures daily, which we didn’t do before. We no longer are able to take the patients out for arbitrary visits to shops or family. One of my patients even works. He was not able to go to work during the shutdown which required a lot of overtime by everyone on the team.

Did your patients have a lot of fear?

With underlying conditions, both were quite fearful in the beginning. Over time, they have relaxed about it. Maybe too much due to boredom.

How do you think the upcoming flu season will impact both the hospital and home health care industry?

The hospital will obviously see an increase in patients. Especially here, where we are still seeing rising COVID-19 cases. As for home health, the biggest thing will be if they get pulled out of work for either ailment that will require more hours and cost the state more money. Add that up for all the patients with around the clock care and that becomes a fairly large increase.

What is the biggest change to your personal life during all of this?

For me personally, it was my ability to go window shopping. Sometimes regular shopping too. I cannot risk putting my family or my patients at higher risk by doing so. I have tried shopping online,she said laughing, it is not the same.

Do you think there are procedures or protocols that changed when the virus hit, that will probably continue even after the virus is under control?

I don’t know that we can say it will ever be completely under control. It just spreads so fast. So I think that we will be more conscientious about giving patients more personal space in offices and waiting rooms. I think we will all be more aware of airborne saliva spray and how that is impacted by ventilation. Smaller areas of care will probably see regulations about ventilation change going forwards.

Is there anything else about being a healthcare worker that you would like for our readers to know?

Sometimes people forget that it isn’t just doctors and nurses who are impacted by this. It is a large community with varying levels of healthcare. It’s also administrators, volunteers, technicians, janitorial staff, counselors. Its impact is probably wider spread than your reader’s realize. We are all doing our part to help reduce the spread and hope our communities will come together to do the same. We need one plan that we all can get behind.

Lee is a great person. She will continue to do what needs to be done during this health crisis. Because of her, and so many others in our communities, we can rely on the excellent healthcare we receive in our country. Let’s not take them for granted. As individuals, we need to be doing everything we can to help stop the spread. That includes social distancing, wearing a mask in public and washing your hands frequently. Overall, that is not a long list of things you should do,especially if it means saving even just one life, let alone numerous lives.

Farrell is the author of two suspense novels: 411 Apple Tower Rd a frightening tale about a child predator who chooses the wrong victim and Messanie Hill based on a true story of a house that has more than memories lurking within its walls. You can purchase copies of both books HERE.