网曝门事件

(Tuesday, September 29, 2020, Willits, CA) As healthcare workers continue to care for the community, including COVID-19 patients, staff from 网曝门事件 Health Howard Memorial sharing their stories on what it鈥檚 like being on the front lines and asking the community to do their part to help stop the spread.

As an ICU nurse, Matt Gaynor, RN has been caring for COVID patients since the pandemic hit. While they are called 鈥渉eroes鈥� these days, Gaynor says, he鈥檚 just a nurse doing his job 鈥揷aring for people like he always had. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 see myself as a hero. I鈥檓 a nurse, that鈥檚 what I鈥檓 expected to do, and I鈥檓 given the tools I need to do my job and protect myself. I think our essential workers, such as grocery store clerks and restaurant workers are heroes because they don鈥檛 as much protection as I do, and they don鈥檛 get paid the same way and yet they take on the same risks as we do. They didn鈥檛 sign up for this kind of work. I did. I also think our housekeepers are heroes. They work very hard and put their lives on the line.鈥�

While their work has become more complicated and comes with more risk, Gaynor says it never stopped him from wanting to go to work. 鈥淚 tell my fellow nurses, at some point in your nursing career, you鈥檙e going to have to make a decision, whether or not you鈥檙e going to go to work. This is the first of many that we will have to make that decision. I have about 25 to 30 years of my nursing career left. To me, it鈥檚 just pandemic number oneof a long line of things that will be coming our way. There will be more times we will do something we鈥檝e never done before; we will deal with something completely unknown and scary. I will be here for all of it. Because this is what I signed up for. I鈥檓 a nurse.鈥�

Gaynor says he鈥檚 less concerned about himself but more about his family that鈥檚 why he takes every precaution possible, especially for his parents who are high-risk and elderly. 鈥淢y mom who鈥檚 a volunteer here would do anything to be back. But she knows it鈥檚 not safe. I can鈥檛 really stay away from them or not see them because they need me since they have health issues that鈥檚 why I just try to be very careful.鈥�

Gaynor says the most challenging part of caring for COVID patients is the isolation and not being able to have family at the bedside, especially when prior to the pandemic Howard has always had a reputation for its family atmosphere. 鈥淚t鈥檚 challenging having to explain to their family that they can鈥檛 come in, it鈥檚 hard for the family and for us. We鈥檝e always prided ourselves here, that what makes us unique is the family atmosphere. It鈥檚 hard for patients when they are in a new place, having to deal with people they don鈥檛 know, someone poking you, it鈥檚 hard for them not having that support. And it鈥檚 hard for us to watch and having to be the one to explain to the family that they can鈥檛 be with their loved one for their own protection. So these days, I always try to bend over backwards and go above and beyond for the family, I call them a lot to keep them updated so they don鈥檛 worry.I check-in on them a lot, making sure I answer all their questions and address their concerns,鈥� he shares.

While times have been challenging, Gaynor says the one thing he will take away from this experience is the importance of family, especially in healthcare. He explains, 鈥淪upport from family member or just being able to be there for their loved ones who are sick makes a difference in their healing. It鈥檚 hard to watch, when they can鈥檛 kiss or hug their family members, especially when someone passed away. We did our best with using technology and connecting them via video calls. But it鈥檚 not the same. That personal connection, human touch, being able to hug or touch is so important to not only what we do but also in our everyday lives. That鈥檚 one thing I will always try to remember and make it a point to bend over backwards to make sure our patients have that family connection.鈥�

Even as our cases are going down in Mendocino County, Gaynor says he鈥檚 more worried about what鈥檚 coming and the confluence of flu and pneumonia season, usually already busy time for hospitals, along with a pandemic.

鈥淚鈥檓 concerned about the triple whammy of these conditions. You can have a virus and a bacterial infection at the same time. And we use the same resources to deal with COVID-19 as we would for flu and pneumonia. It鈥檚 something we鈥檝e never had to deal with before.鈥�

That鈥檚 why Gaynor asks everyone to continue taking precautions and doing their part. 鈥淭his is real, and we need to take this seriously. Your protection isn鈥檛 just for yourself, it鈥檚 for the people around you and those you love. Wear a mask and wash your hands. Be part of the team. As nurses, we need you to be part of the team so that when the wave does hit, we will be able to handle it. And we can save lives.鈥�