ON THE FRONT LINES IN THE FIGHT AGAINST COVID-19 By Sean McMullen ’96, Director of Alumni Relations Through their formation as Men for Others, Jesuit Dallas alumni are called upon to be attuned to the needs of the world; to use their God-given talents and gifts to help society overcome its greatest challenges and to ultimately make the world a better place. During an unprecedented health crisis unlike anything else in modern history, many of our alumni have played a prominent role in responding to an emergency that has cost lives, devastated economic growth, and changed the way we live. Here are just a few of their stories…
RESPONDING TO THE OUTBREAK Within a 50 mile drive of Amarillo, there are five meat packing plants and a state penitentiary that employ thousands of people in their respective communities. Dr. Brian Weis ’84, who is the chief medical officer of Northwest Texas Healthcare System, was called into action when the penitentiary and two of the plants, JBS Beef and Tyson Foods, Inc., had outbreaks and quickly became a threat to overwhelm the resources of the hospital. In an effort to protect doctors, residents, workers and patients, the Northwest Texas Healthcare System formed an internal Incident Command Structure and created critical roles to ensure a safe environment within the hospital. Weis assumed the
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enormous role of safety officer, providing guidance on next steps in patient care, working on protocols to prevent a spread of the outbreak or infiltration into the hospital system, and ensuring safety for all those within the system. As he adjusted to the increased responsibilities from his normal position as CMO, Weis found that 100% of his day was checking for the number of available ventilators, ICU capacity, assessment of the quantities and quality of PPE, and serving with the mayor of Amarillo and public health department officials on tracking COVID-19 cases and the region’s coordinated response. Administrators in the NWTHS instituted a policy of total transparency. In
addition to sharing the dais for weekly press conferences to the community with updates on the pandemic and its effect on the Texas panhandle, daily emails and communication were sent to the hospital staff by Weis in an effort to share information and maintain open lines of communication. “I have been so proud to work with everyone during this health crisis. Every workflow in this hospital has been touched by COVID-19. I have seen people working together in astounding ways and we have been able to curb the spread and limit the number of cases as a result of our efforts. I treasure that I have had this experience and I hope I NEVER have it again.”
