CODY, Wyo. (AP) - The health care workers at Cody Regional Health have been challenged by the coronavirus pandemic. There have been struggles with obtaining masks and other protective equipment, workers getting sick, and rising numbers and longer stays in the intensive care unit. They’ve pushed through them all.
“The things the employees have done here and the department leaders to care for the patients of this community, everybody has just gone above and beyond,” chief clinical officer Keith Ungrund told The Cody Enterprise.
Ungrund said the hospital has had 10-15 people out per week due to COVID, either because they contracted it or were in close contact with another person who did. That crunch on staffing has led to occasional cancellations of elective surgeries – those procedures that aren’t immediately life-threatening but must still be done.
The staffing challenges have also meant some health care workers are being cross-trained to ensure there is coverage in the ICU. It’s been a total team effort, Ungrund said. And despite a recent push for longer hours and more overtime to have the people they need in the building, morale isn’t lacking.
“They are a strong team of caregivers that take care of each other very well,” said Barbara Mullaney, a nurse and the head of the acute and critical care units. “We ensure that we are rounding on them routinely to ensure they are getting breaks and they have what they need. We are so proud of our team and they are doing their best to stay upbeat and positive.”
Still, it can be hard to keep coming back. Mullaney said she and her team are getting tired, but are willing to do “whatever it takes” to provide care for the community. As for why she keeps coming back?
“The staff and the patients,” she said. “This is what I choose to do because I care.”
An end to the pandemic appears to be in sight. Vaccines approved by the federal government have already started getting distributed around the country, with Moderna’s vaccine due to start arriving at hospitals throughout the U.S. this week. Even with this news, Mullaney cautions the public to continue wearing masks and washing their hands.
“We’re not out of the woods yet,” she said.
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