FEATURELOOK
Hope From Harlem Interview by Maggie Murdock Nichols
Kym Langford and her family live in Edmond. She works as the Nursing Department Lab Coordinator at Oklahoma Christian University. Her husband Ben also works at OC as a professor. Kym is originally from Washington state, and their family spent six years in Uganda serving as missionaries. Kym and Ben have two sons, a freshman and a 7th grader, and a daughter who is in 4th grade. How did your time working in New York City come about? Well, there wasn’t work for me at home. My job at OC is centered around hands-on learning. All my students went home, classes moved to online and I was left with time on my hands. This opportunity came up and the timing was right for me to go serve, help and work. I volunteered to go, but I am paid. How long have you been in New York City? I arrived on March 27th and came into work at Harlem Hospital Center the next day. I was asked to stay here eight more weeks. I’ve currently committed to two more weeks. Honestly, I considered leaving after two weeks. It was total chaos. Things are getting better now. We’re at maximum capacity, but the influx is slowing down. Thankfully. What are your shifts like? I work nights. I leave the hotel, where 1,000 other nurses stay, at 6:25pm. We arrive in Harlem and I begin my shift at 7:30pm. We have four to five patients per room, and I provide collaborative care with other nurses. I desperately want to provide my patients with not only quality care but comfort. Many of my patients don’t have cell phones, so I use my personal cell phone to let them check in with their family. I’m really torn. I want 14
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MAY 2020
