On the Front Lines – Interview with COVID-19 warrior Liz Burdick

BY VAL SCHOGER 
PHOTOGRAPHY BY MIKE FENDER

Interview with COVID-19 warrior Liz Burdick, Vice President of Nursing, Ascension Sacred Heart Bay
One of the positive outcomes of the COVID-19 pandemic is the fact that every single human being on the planet was confronted with the same invisible threat, uniting us in our understanding of our common fears and, most importantly, helping us identify the heroes among us: those who dedicate their lives to helping others—our health care providers.
While many of us could shelter at home, our nurses, physicians, and support staff ventured headlong into battling the virus, providing examinations, care, and comfort to those who suspected an infection or tested positive. In addition to dealing with new procedures and routines, local hospitals, healthcare providers, and first responders continued treating those with acute or chronic conditions. We came to realize that the word “essential” does not quite describe our healthcare professionals’ work. “Crucial” is much more fitting.
We sat down with Liz Burdick, vice president of nursing at Ascension Sacred Heart Bay hospital in Panama City, to get a better understanding of the challenges the pandemic brought.

Describe the new protocols and rules that needed to be put in place and followed with COVID-19.
We dedicated one separate area of the hospital to patients that present with COVID-19 and trained all staff about the proper use of personal protective equipment (PPE). Everyone is taking it very seriously. When a new patient comes in who presents with COVID-19 symptoms, we expedite their assignment to a private room that is located in the COVID unit, away from other staff and patients.
We have asked our staff for suggestions and have put up a suggestion box. And we also ensure that the staff who work in the COVID-19 unit are provided with lunches and dinners—we had to ensure the safety of all our patients and staff members. We were able to sequester the unit that works with COVID patients and bring all of the patients’ necessities to them. For our staff members, this department has a very nice break room, a nice conference room, and showers. Staff members are able to take showers after their shift.

How many COVID-19 patients have been cared for at Ascension Sacred Heart Bay so far?
We cared for 15 positive COVID-19 patients so far. We’ve had many people come through as what we call PUIs—persons under investigation for possibly having the virus. They come in with symptoms and we place them in the COVID-19 unit for testing. But thankfully, most of them have been testing negative. The hospital has had very few COVID-19 patients.

Can you elaborate on what it’s like to care for COVID-19 patients on a daily basis?
First of all, we were and are very cautious. If a patient has symptoms, in addition to placing them in the separate COVID unit, just like many hospitals across the country, one of the biggest things that we changed was our visitor policy. We had a zero-visitor policy, and that was really important to keep our staff as safe as we possibly could, and to keep our patients as safe as we possibly could. We now have a one-person-per-patient visitor policy. Communication is very important for a patient. So, one of the things we made sure of is that the patients either had their cell phones so they could communicate with their families, or we provided iPads so they could be in touch with their families, because you can imagine how difficult it would be to be in the hospital, not feel well, and then not be able to have a loved one with you. That was a very different process for us because we were very much a part of making sure our patients have communication with their families. And then when the physicians would come in to visit the patients, the nurses would make it a point to make sure the families were included via telephone or iPad to ensure that everybody knew the patient’s status and next steps that needed to be taken.
The fear of the unknown is always the worst thing, right? As for our staff, we had daily updates in place and our leadership met with the staff that was assigned to the COVID-19 unit every day

“The entire team made sure that everyone felt safe, that everyone had what they needed, and it encompasses everyone—the nursing staff, the respiratory therapy staff, our environmental services employees, and our facilities staff. It takes a true team to make all this work.

I am sure the families were very concerned for their loved ones. It seems communication was key in dealing with COVID-19 cases.

Yes, one of our staff members, Sister Grace Ford, spearheaded the communication efforts with the patients’ families. She was on the forefront of ensuring that families received daily updates and that they understood the next steps of their loved one’s care. If we had a situation where a patient was not doing well, with worsening, life-threatening conditions, we would allow relatives to see the patient. We wanted to enable compassionate visiting. Sister Grace was incredibly instrumental in making sure that the patients could communicate with their families, and if the situation worsened and became life-threatening, they would be able to see each other. Sister Grace took the lead on this and did a fantastic job.

How did the COVID-19 pandemic affect your private life? Were your loved ones concerned? Can you remember what it was like when you first heard about the virus?

I have two wonderful daughters and a stepson in Pennsylvania. They are adults, but they are still worried about Mom all the time. Their calls became more frequent because they were very concerned. And then, of course, as a mother who’s not near her children, when I found out that my children are living in some of the highest-hit areas of Pennsylvania, that was extremely worrisome. As we were slowly opening things up down here in Florida, they were still sequestered in their home, working from home. As for my husband, he is so used to the craziness that goes along with being a nurse, he just rolls with it.

How did you deal with the higher workload and added stress during the pandemic?

We have had some long days here trying to make sure that our staff had everything they needed to properly care for the patients. There was a very big focus on taking care of our teams. We wanted to make sure that our teams felt safe and had the information they needed. We worked late in the evening and came in early in the mornings. Our hospital president visits the COVID unit staff daily to ensure the dialogue with the department director and ensure they have the support they need. We have a very resilient bunch here. They were fantastic.

People have shown their appreciation and support for healthcare professionals. COVID-19 makes it very clear to all of us that healthcare professionals are real heroes during the pandemic. Can you describe the work and challenges in more detail?

We have the most incredible staff at the medical center. I tell my friends and family I have arrived at the most incredible place to work. When we first created the COVID-19 unit, we had some true heroes step up from the ICU [intensive care unit] to free up their colleagues. The entire team made sure that everyone felt safe, that everyone had what they needed, and it encompasses everyone— the nursing staff, the respiratory therapy staff, our environmental services employees, and our facilities staff. It takes a true team to make all this work. And they did a phenomenal job. One of the most challenging tasks is that we had to prepare for a potential large surge of patients. Ascension hospitals have followed all the guidelines from the CDC [Centers for Disease Control]. When we stopped elective procedures temporarily, we were able to shift staff from the cardiac cath lab, the surgical ORs, and the ER and have them re-acclimate themselves to the ICU environment. So, if there is a need to expand our ICU beds, our staff will be ready. I know that Ascension Sacred Heart Bay is prepared. Remember, this is the same staff that persevered through Hurricane Michael while the hospital building was ripped to shreds. Some of them are still working on their houses. There’s nothing they can’t do. I am certain of that.