Faces of the Pandemic

When COVID-19 reached the United States, the virus had already run rampant throughout other countries around the world. In response, many businesses and school districts transitioned from in-person to remote work and learning, and many facilities closed to the public.

Some of the U.S. workforce was able to transition their workloads to home, turning kitchens, spare bedrooms, and basements into offices, practicing social distancing, and continuing to meet their responsibilities. Many others—more than 20 million— lost their jobs when their place of employment closed temporarily or permanently due to federal or state regulations, or a lack of business due to the pandemic.

And then there was, and still is, a third group comprised of selfless individuals who, for countless reasons, go to their place of work and do their jobs—risking their health and safety to ensure the general public, whether a consumer or patient, is provided what they needed. Nurses and other medical professionals now don personal protective equipment (PPE), retail staff wear face masks and practice proper hygiene, and the general public remains socially distant, more likely to communicate via a teleconference than face-to-face.

The alumni profiled are just a few who have continued to work to help those in need during this pandemic. And while they all tell different stories from their locations around the country, they all have a similar message: heed the call for physical distancing, face masks, sanitation, and sheltering in place. No one is alone in this fight against COVID, but they say there is a light at the end of the tunnel, and a solution to this global problem.

Kyla Giannelli ’01

At the start of the coronavirus pandemic, Kyla Giannelli ’01 was focused first and foremost on her family’s safety, followed by finding out any way possible that she could help others.

Giannelli, a board-certified physician assistant, works for a private cardiology group that rounds at Hartford Hospital. When COVID-19 began to spread, she and her coworkers continued to see their patients and manage their cardiac conditions, as many of the patients are considered high risk for complications of the virus. “We utilized telemedicine when we could and decreased the foot traffic coming into our office. We had all staff that were able to work remotely do so.”

Similarly, Hartford Hospital stopped allowing visitors onto the campus and increased screening protocols. While at the hospital one day, Giannelli reflected that the visit did not feel the same.

“I remember walking into the hospital and texting my husband that it felt eerie,” she said. “There were very few people in the hospital and little interaction with each other unless it was necessary. We were sanitizing everything—keyboards, ourselves, our cars—as we didn’t know the transmission risks of bringing this home to our families.”

Giannelli was also able to shift away from cardiology and apply her skill set to Air Visits, a New Jerseybased medical center that provides patients the ability to video conference with their doctors. With an active license in New Jersey, Giannelli was able to offer her services by conducting screenings, ordering testing, and seeing patients virtually. Part of the goal was to keep patients out of overburdened emergency rooms and urgent care clinics in the area.

But the general public were not the only people being seen. “We also saw a lot of medical providers who had contracted COVID-19 at work. The work was very rewarding, but also felt very scary as these were our peers in the workforce getting sick, and I knew Connecticut’s numbers were growing daily.” At home, Giannelli’s family found the silver lining of quarantine. With two young children and her husband, Giannelli was initially frustrated having to miss out on family events and vacations, but realized that they were creating something memorable. With demanding jobs that require work on weekends and nights, they were able to slow down and spend time together.

“There were no sporting events or social obligations to fill our calendar. We continue that same focus now. We see only a small number of family and friends in our ’quaranteam’ and we focus on quality time, not running from event to event,” Giannelli said.

The work was very rewarding, but also felt very scary as these were our peers in the workforce getting sick, and I knew Connecticut’s numbers were growing daily.

And the quarantine also served as a learning experience for Giannelli’s children. With elderly neighbors, the Giannelli family would offer to pick up goods for them from the local grocery store, while Giannelli’s sister would drop off cleaning supplies for people who were unable to get them on their own. “The children learned to slow down and be an active part in our community.”

Community is something Giannelli took away from her time at Cheshire Academy, understanding that everyone needs to pitch in when help is needed. “My role was very small compared to (hospital staff, nurses, and doctors), but I am grateful that I had the flexibility in my license to transition to that role when it was needed. I think we can all find a way to contribute to the greater good and continue to support each other through this.”

Daniel Wayne ’07

When it comes to COVID-19, it’s clear that people can test positive, with or without symptoms, and spread the disease to other people. But what about animals? Can our four-legged companions contract the coronavirus as well?

When the pandemic first unfolded, one of the many concerns was just that. And, according to Daniel Wayne ’07, a veterinarian with Bethany Veterinarian Hospital, dogs and cats can contract the disease, although not as easily as people.

“It is very uncommon for this to happen. The animal would need to be in close proximity to a person who tested positive. Their symptoms are respiratory (coughing, sneezing, lethargy). There is no evidence to suggest that animals shed viral particles, meaning they are not infectious to people, even if they themselves are positive.”

There are rewarding and stressful times working as a veterinarian, even without a pandemic, Wayne admits. Perks include meeting puppies and kittens, and finding solutions to combat various allergies, whereas stressors include emergency foreign body surgeries to remove something an animal should not have eaten.

But when COVID-19 came to the United States and the general public self-quarantined, BVH and other veterinarians around the state remained open, albeit with modified protocols. In the beginning, BVH maintained its standard operating hours, but only accepted problem visits. Annual checkups were on hold.

“We started—and have continued—to practice curbside care, meaning a staff member will meet the client outside and bring the patient into our building,” explained Wayne. As the veterinarian, Wayne discusses the patient’s concerns with the client by phone. Appointments were previously scheduled at 20-minute intervals, but have now been increased to 30 minutes to accommodate for proper sterilization and the extra time appointments take to complete. As with most everywhere else, masks were required to be worn and the importance of handwashing was reiterated early on.

Understaffed during a regular year, many practices were also fielding an increased number of calls from families who, with more free time on their hands, had welcomed a new pet into their homes. As such, BVH and other facilities have an increased clientele list, and have spent more time on the phone discussing and troubleshooting problems from afar.

Wayne always had a natural affinity toward the sciences, having grown up with his father, who was a practicing pediatrician. After CA, Wayne attended Gettysburg College and received a Bachelor of Science degree in biology. He then worked for a veterinarian in Derby, Connecticut, before attending Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine, finishing by clinical rotation at Purdue University. He’s been practicing at BVH for four years.

We started—and have continued— to practice curbside care, meaning a staff member will meet the client outside and bring the patient into our building.

Wayne credits Cheshire Academy with helping him foster independence, conflict resolution and management skills, and overcoming challenges. “Going to such a diverse school and building relationships and friendships with peers in other countries and backgrounds allowed for early development of long distance communicating. Relationships and human interaction are a necessity for dealing with stress and isolation. Early on, CA instilled techniques to make this physical isolation we have all had to observe a little more manageable.”

Hannah Stepas ’08

...it made everything worth it to know that we were making a difference for families, and to know that we could tell them that their dad wasn’t alone, we were with him the entire time, and he was not frantic or afraid. He was comfortable.

One of the more challenging parts of providing care to patients is communicating with individuals who are severely sick. It is difficult to be there for someone in normal circumstances, and only increasingly more complicated during a global pandemic.

For Hannah Stepas ’08, a registered nurse at South Shore Hospital whose unit was turned into a COVID-19 floor earlier in the year, the focus has always been on how to best help each person. She and the rest of her team were prepared when the change took place; leadership was strong, and everyone had a high level of morale. While only a few patients were admitted to the hospital at first, the rooms on Stepas’ floor quickly began to fill up.

“Coming to work meant it was no longer just going in for your job,” Stepas reflected. “I was going into a dangerous environment … it takes 10 minutes to gear up. You have to be in a negative-pressure room—it’s really difficult for patients.”

Following her review of reports from night nurses, Stepas completes head-to-toe assessments of her patients. She immediately listens to each patient’s lungs, as many have terrible respiratory issues due to the virus. If they still struggled to breathe, they initially would be intubated and sent to the intensive care unit, although medical practices have changed as more research on COVID-19 has been released.

Mental health continues to be a major struggle for those in isolation, and for healthcare workers, Stepas said. People battling with addiction have relapsed, compromising their immune systems and putting themselves at greater risk. Psychiatrists and therapists have been made available for all the hospital workers in COVID-19 units so they could decompress.

Stepas said that there have been a couple major traumas in her unit. “I’ve had to be with patients who were dying, and their family couldn’t be with them.” Stepas lost her father when she was 25 years old, and she’s often put herself in the shoes of her patients’ families. “The idea that somebody else, not me, would have been with him when he was dying, is preposterous to me.” Although an emotionally taxing part of her job, Stepas said many of the families have been supportive of her efforts. They follow up with her and thank her for being with their loved one. The gratitude initially came as a shock to her.

“It meant everything. It made everything worth it,” she said, her voice breaking. “It was just so not the reaction that I was expecting, so maybe that’s part of it, but it made everything worth it to know that we were making a difference for families, and to know that we could tell them that their dad wasn’t alone, we were with him the entire time, and he was not frantic or afraid. He was comfortable.”

In September, South Shore Hospital celebrated four days with zero COVID-19 patients on their campus. That celebration was short lived, however, as a handful of positive patients came in shortly thereafter, and Stepas expected that more would follow. With the strong set of principles and code of ethics acquired during her time at CA, Stepas will continue to operate with integrity and help those in need.

Cal Smith ’09

Ever since graduating from CA, Cal Smith ’09 has been volunteering or working as an EMT, including through college and while working as a real estate agent. He later graduated from Northeastern University’s accelerated nursing program. Today, he is a first lieutenant with the United States Air Force, working as an RN and nurse manager at the David Grant USAF Medical Center in Fairfield, California.

Smith’s workflow changed in the beginning of 2020, when he and countless other nurses were pulled to work in the triage tent on the U.S. Air Force base. “We would see from 50 to 200 people within hours, testing nonstop in your PPE. That was Monday through Friday, from 0800-1700 (8 a.m. to 5 p.m.).”

Smith would work two days in the tent and three days in the emergency department (ED) office, calling patients to provide results, and answering the telecommunication hotline. “I had to do the COVID hotline of the entire base. There were nonstop calls coming in about current symptoms, so you really had to triage and see if they had to come to the ED.”

Facing individuals who may be COVID-19 positive was not intimidating for Smith, who graduated from nursing school during the Ebola outbreak (20142016). However, there have been scares on the base. “I think the only time that we got scared was when we found a hole in one of our PPEs. Then we had to quarantine for 14 days. That never happened to me, but that happened to other nurses.”

And in early fall, an individual entered the emergency room not wearing a mask. “They had COVID, so most of the ED had to get tested and quarantined. Dealing with those things is interesting—everyone has to just make sure that everyone is protected, and to just assume that everyone has COVID at this point.”

As nurse manager, Smith has tapped into his leadership skills he first acquired at Cheshire Academy, where he was captain of sports teams and president of his class. These are skills he has carried with him to the military sector, leading troops, ensuring everyone is treated fairly and is safe.

I had to do the COVID hotline of the entire base. There were nonstop calls coming in about current symptoms, so you really had to triage and see if they had to come to the ED.

But in California, Smith isn’t just battling COVID-19. In August, California wildfires spread to Vacaville, the city immediately to the north of Fairfield, where Smith lives. The fire burned one quarter of the town, forcing the base and hospital to evacuate on Aug. 19.

“Most of our hospitals all evacuated for the first time and three or four weeks prior, half of our nurses were deployed to southern California … we weren’t just fighting COVID, we were dealing with the fires (and) the smoke inhalation injuries.”

Kelly Herdman ’10

In March, Kelly Herdman ’10 was told she and fellow nurses at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) would be moving from their clinic to an inpatient COVID-19 unit to assist in the fight against the pandemic.

“One week later, I found myself walking into a MGH COVID-19 unit with full protective equipment not knowing what to expect,” Herdman reflected. “I was on this unit for eight weeks while our clinic was working at minimum capacity.”

With a sense of nervousness and excitement, Herdman was ready to help out in any way that she could. Many of the nurses with whom she worked had never cared for adult patients, so it was an adjustment for everyone. “Still wearing scrubs, we were required to wear a N-95 mask, goggles, face shield, gloves, and gown upon entry to every room.”

Herdman worked in the COVID unit for eight weeks before returning to her transplant clinic, where she currently works as a transplant coordinator. Working in the COVID unit was a major adjustment, but the staff on the floor grew together as a team. Their program continues to grow, with many patients provided the option to virtually meet with their providers from the comfort of their own homes.

And the general Boston community was extremely supportive of the work that Herdman and others were doing. “Every shift, we were sent food from restaurants throughout the city of Boston with kind messages encouraging us to make it through each shift. The city really showed their support for healthcare workers with signs posted all through the city. Upon completion of a 12-hour shift, there would be people surrounding the hospital applauding healthcare workers, which was inspiring.”

Herdman’s passion for health sciences originated in her Anatomy and Physiology class at CA. “The small class sizes allowed me to form close relationships with my teachers and prepared me for college coursework. Cheshire Academy helped me prepare for the unprecedented global pandemic we currently face.”

After graduating from CA, Herdman received her bachelor’s in nursing from Fairfield University. She later worked on the kidney and liver transplant floor at Yale-New Haven Hospital before accepting a position as a pediatric transplant nurse at Boston Children’s Hospital. From there, Herdman was hired as a living donor transplant coordinator at MGH.

Every shift, we were sent food from restaurants throughout the city of Boston with kind messages encouraging us to make it through each shift. The city really showed their support for healthcare workers with signs posted all through the city.

“My passion has been in the field of organ transplant,” Herdman said. “I quickly grew to love working with this patient population and have been humbled by my patients’ stories and experiences. Previously taking care of sick patients who require a lifesaving organ transplant, I now facilitate the evaluation of living kidney donors who want to help save the life of someone else.”

Herdman is already planning to further her education due to her experiences of working in the COVID unit. Starting in November, she began graduate school at Simmons University to become a family nurse practitioner.