As I spoke to each staff member, one by one, the common thread woven through their experiences were palpable and crystal clear. Strong leadership, iCARE values, and unwavering teamwork are the ingredients for success. Time and time again, it was noted by virtually every staff member that transformational leadership was the key to driving how the team members treated each other, and how patients and loved ones are treated. Danielle Curry, nurse manager, and Kathleen Capps, T&R III Day Clinician, round out the leadership team under Allison Copenhaver’s direction as the Associate Director of Nursing for the Medicine Service.
Kathleen first received “the call” on a Sunday afternoon back in March indicating that she must transfer all of the hospital observation patients to other units to prepare for admitted COVID patients in the Emergency Department who required beds. With the hospital observation unit barely open for eight weeks, she swiftly sprang into action to work with the Centralized Throughput Office, and within 12 hours, she was notifying the staff that 18 North was officially being converted into the first COVID inpatient unit at Stony Brook University Hospital.
Each of the staff members shared unique stories about their role on the unit. Elizabeth Maran, for example, was serving as the Clinical Nurse Specialist on 15 South, but due to her subspecialty expertise and her past experience working with the unit leadership, she was pressed into service on 18 North and gladly accepted the challenge. We had an opportunity to walk toward the new Quality Board on the unit, which provided an excellent summary of trended performance improvement data for strategic metrics relating to clinical outcomes, patient safety and patient engagement. The team was proud to share significant improvements in reducing c. difficile infection rates.
Walking through the unit, I came upon Diane Gajeski, RN, who worked on 15 South for nearly 20 years. Early on, when 18 North opened as a COVID unit, she volunteered to work a few days a week; however, it quickly led to her requesting to work full time. She noted how her work on the unit is rewarding, not only in terms of caring for patients, but also in the context of working with an extraordinarily caring and compassionate team. Her actions make a difference on this unit and she is proud of the good work of the entire healthcare team. She also provided comfort to many families along the way, serving as a compassionate advocate for her patients while family visitation restrictions were in place.
It was noted that the unit celebrates success stories, which motivates the team during difficult times. Indiana Badia, a Clinical Nurse Assistant, worked on 12 South for five years prior to coming to 18 North. She experienced the highs and lows alongside family members and patients and noted that with visitor restrictions in place, she wanted families to be reassured that she takes the time with patients by treating them as if they were her own parents. Indiana also described the sadness that this ravaging disease brought upon many families, and the impact to the staff as they navigated the sadness and experienced losses together. She noted that it forms a strong bond that will likely never be broken.
Marissa Meyer, a Case Manager on the unit, is a fairly new staff member with just over a year of experience at Stony Brook University Hospital. She was hired to work on the hospital observation unit and continued on as the unit transitioned to care for COVID patients. Marissa is continually motivated by the rewarding and rich experiences, especially when very sick patients get well and she helps prepare for them to go home. She noted that the Stony Brook team is like a family to her as they go through happy and difficult times together.
Two physician assistants on the unit are fairly recent graduates. When Alexa Ricci and Sara Bendig graduated not too long ago, they didn’t realize that their initial experience at the hospital would be to care for patients during a pandemic. Nevertheless, they shared that the work is rewarding and is considered an incredible learning environment, with experience that is unsurpassed. Under Dr. Sadia Abbasi’s leadership the team is a tightknit unit, using standardized protocols to care for this patient population.
Alexa and Sara are not the only two relatively new graduates to enter the healthcare profession during a pandemic. Haley Nayer, RN, shortly after graduation, started about 18 months ago at Stony Brook University Hospital and originally oriented on 15 North. She also acknowledged the valuable experience and knowledge gained while working on a COVID unit, and shared that working with a well-oiled team made it even more fulfilling.
Another valuable resource that is notably part of the team is the Rapid Response Team (RRT) staff. Abu Chowdhury, RN, shared that he had previously worked on 15 North and also spent several years working in the Emergency Department. As part of the RRT, which supports the entire hospital, Abu noted that he is involved in intubations and transporting patients to ICU settings, while also serving as an IV placement specialist. RRT staff proactively round on the unit to address concerns in order to anticipate needs.
Everyone knows that the glue that holds the unit together is the Unit Station Clerk. I had the pleasure of meeting Arlene Lewis-Babits, who immediately strikes me as a caring individual who thoroughly enjoys working as part of the healthcare team. She has been working on 18 North for 13 months and noted that she feels comfortable in this environment.
Arlene stated the importance of our patients, for without them, we don’t exist. Working on this unit has taught her about compassion on a deeper level, as she has witnessed the suffering endured by patients and their families. She noted that although she can feel her heart crushing at times, there are also moments of joy when recoveries are made and patients can go home. Arlene also shared that as needs arise for patients, such as a call bell ringing, she immediately springs into action to ensure that the need is met, as she is extremely attentive. Although she doesn’t provide direct patient care, she shared that a team member doesn’t have to be inside of a patient room to demonstrate kindness and compassion. Her role as a Unit Station Clerk is valuable as it serves as a communication bridge and brings patient needs to the awareness of those providing direct patient care.
Leadership. Compassion. Commitment. Service. Value-based care. These are the threads that weave the fabric of the care provided on the hospital observation unit turned COVID unit into a healing, life-changing and experience-driven environment. Although I was not able to speak to all staff and faculty serving every role that helps to keep the unit functioning optimally, I am grateful to the entire team for navigating uncharted waters as everyone stepped up during a time of need.
Carol
