Healthcare Heroes

Frontline team members reflect on COVID-19 surge

When COVID-19 started its spread in March across the United States, UnityPoint Health doctors, nurses, respiratory therapists, techs and over 3,000 team members working in the hospital and clinics stepped forward to care for their neighbors, friends and loved ones. The important work continues but for those that bravely worked the frontlines in St. Luke’s COVID-19 unit it’s a time they’ll never forget. “The first time I walked into St. Luke’s COVID-19 ICU, it reminded me of a MASH (Mobile Army Surgical Hospital) unit,” recalled Michele Tangeman, St. Luke’s ICU nurse. “The typical layout of our unit changed to accommodate the negative airflow setup, which was needed to keep everyone safe. There were initial bumps and the energy and stress levels were high. But as the days went on, our innovations soared. During each shift, a nurse would think of a more

efficient or safe way to organize tasks and cares to better serve our patients. Slowly our MASH style unit turned into the resourceful unit it is today. Through it all, I always felt supported by St. Luke’s, my leadership team and most importantly my fearless co-workers.”

“It was nerve-racking at first to work in the unit when it was first created,” shared Brittany McKay, St. Luke’s respiratory therapist. “We had all heard the horrific stories from New York and didn’t know what COVID-19 would bring for our personal and professional lives. Despite this we went in the unit knowing we chose healthcare as a career because we want to help our patients get better and guide them through whatever ailment brought them here.”

“I initially had a lot of fear about going into rooms with COVID-19 patients,” recalled Pierre Manirakiza, St. Luke’s interpreter. “I was scared I would get sick. Every time I coughed or sneezed, I would think to myself, ‘do I have COVID-19?’ But I didn’t get sick because I carefully followed the hospital rules by wearing PPE.”

CARING FOR pATIENTS AND FAMILIES For these team members it’s the patients they will always remember. Healthcare workers are used to having family visit and support patients, but COVID-19 prevented it, and they took on additional duties like never before.

“You may have been fearful going in, but when you saw these patients were alone and more scared then we could have imagined - I knew I had to put on a brave face and cast my fears aside,” said McKay. “We had patients who would say their goodbyes to their family through FaceTime. They weren’t sure if this would be the last time they would see their loved one before they were placed on a ventilator. We had patients that lost their battle with the virus. We were there with them when they had their final goodbyes with family through FaceTime. We saw some gut-wrenching things.”

“I remember the constant desire the entire staff had for wanting these patients to get better and return to their families,” recalled Tangeman. “COVID patients don’t recover quickly, so we spent a lot of time with them, especially since their families could not see them. I will never forget the names and faces of the patients we cared for. Even on my days off, I would sit at home and constantly hope they’d be improving.” “Some of the patients I would interpret for I knew from our community,” shared Manirakiza. It was a sad and stressful time. Through the many challenges I was happy I was able to help people and do my job too.”

THANKFUL FOR COMMUNITY SUppORT The support of the community was appreciated by St. Luke’s team members. Thousands of meals were donated, fabric masks were sewn, and signs and cards were posted and sent. The support lifted the spirts of St. Luke’s healthcare workers.

“It was amazing,” said McKay. “The community was so generous with their donations. It was nice to have the support from others knowing we had this super important role within the community. We were all so grateful for these gestures.”

“Most people do not get into nursing to be put in the spotlight or to be called ‘heroes’,” said Tangeman. “We became nurses because we genuinely want to help others. The community support showed they knew what we were sacrificing during a time of extreme fear and uncertainty. It felt good to know people were thinking of us and praying for our strength and safety.”

We invite you to join our team of heroes, visit unitypoint.org/careers.

Hearts for Healthcare Workers

A small gesture like buying a Hearts for Healthcare Workers t-shirt can have a big impact for some of the frontline heroes at St. Luke’s Hospital. UnityPoint Health created a COVID Compassion Fund. All dollars raised from shirt sales will be used to provide financial support to Cedar Rapids team members who are facing hardship due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

We invite you to order a shirt to show support to our healthcare workers and the amazing work they are doing for our community. Forty percent of the sales will go to St. Luke’s team members in need.

Shirts are available through the end of 2020. To order, visit bit.ly/UPHHeroes.