COVID-19 One Year Later: Reflecting on the Tragedies and Triumphs that Revealed the Best of Us

From left to right:

Juan Flores (EVS Associate), Dr. Bravein Amalakuhan, Stephen Gudowski (RN)

February 11. For most, this date marks the birthday of George Washington. Others associate it with “National Friend Day” and for some- it just means we’re three short days away from Valentine’s Day and still have no clue what to get our significant other. But for Methodist Healthcare, February 11, 2020, symbolizes the day that would re-chart our course forever, the day we received the first documented COVID-19 positive patient in all of Texas. Who could have ever imagined what the next 364 days would hold? Perhaps not since the Ebola outbreak in 2014 had we been confronted by a mystery illness that not only caused public panic, but bewildered an entire globe of physicians, scientists, and infection prevention specialists. Now imagine making a decision to walk into a room hosting that unknown illness, a disease that would go on to kill 3.4 million people worldwide. Imagine making that choice, knowing so little about this malady that amidst the discomfort of unanswered questions, lay an abyss of far more questions we didn’t even know should be asked.

For Dr. Bravein Amalakuhan, the first physician to care for the first documented patient, had many questions. ”Treatments were unproven and I wondered how I could help these patients survive this illness and get them back to their families. I had so many thoughts such as, “Could I possibly get infected also? And if I did, will I survive? Should I go home or rent an apartment/hotel room to quarantine and protect my family? Do I have enough life insurance?” Dr. Amalakuhan ultimately harnessed what he called a “nervous excitement” to do what needed to be done. “Nervousness because it was unknown how infectious the virus was at that time and how deadly it could possibly be. The excitement

came from understanding that we were receiving the first documented COVID positive in Texas and one of only a handful of known positives in the country. This was before COVID-19 even was a term. There was so just much to learn.” It took a team of several talented, brave individuals to mastermind the care plan for our first patient. From the careful orchestration of safe transport from Lackland Air Force Base and the countless protective measures put in place, to the scrutiny of PPE practices and the integrity used to ensure they were effective, staff from across the system worked around the clock to face this crisis head-on. Stephen Gudowski, RN, a charge nurse in the ER that day, did just that. “I truly do believe as health care personnel and providers, that we sign up for this,” he said. “We aren’t allowed to close our doors for anything.” As the first nurse to care for the State’s first positive patient, Gudowski didn’t think twice about accepting the risk to himself to care for his patient. “As nurses, our first instinct is to go and help, and to impact as many people as we possibly can in a positive manner.” He did however, understand the risk he was assuming and was grateful for the infection prevention specialist by his side, looking out for his safety. “She was there with us and helping me to make sure I was following the correct protocols to protect myself so I can adequately take care of my patient safely,” he said. Strictly following PPE protocols were an obvious key to minimizing the risk of spread, but just as important was the disinfection of the rooms and equipment. Environmental Services has always played a vital role in the care of patients, but has largely been an unsung hero in the healthcare arena. Juan Flores, EVS Associate at Texsan, knew it would take more that doctors and nurses to address this pandemic and he was honored to do his part. “I was a little nervous at first, but I trusted my leaders and the PPE I was provided. I knew I’d be okay.” Flores said he was confident in his training having been required to wear that level of PPE previously and knew the impact he was making. “My role is important and I am really proud to be a part of history.” When asked what he’s learned from this unique experience, Flores commented “That when we all work together, we can do great things.” Indeed. Case in point: Almost a year since the roller coaster of emotion began, hope finally arrived in December by way of a small glass vile. Just as our incredible physicians, nurses, therapists, EVS associates, and more have dedicated their lives to caring for our community affected by this pandemic, others with support roles in the system have done their part to care for them. To date, 62% of our employee population has received the long-anticipated COVID-19 vaccine. This has been no easy feat, requiring around-the-clock efforts to stand up two vaccine clinics, ready to administer thousands of doses.

This milestone took the ingenuity and elbow grease of several people operating within the “Command Center”, a group of individuals that each possess a special expertise that serves in times of emergency, but we’ll save all those details for next time. For now, we should recognize several key individual who masterminded the operations of our vaccine clinics. Rosa Lozano, AVP of Infection Prevention,

Janelle Lopez, ACOO at Methodist Hospital, Piotr Gorecki, Assistant Administrator at Methodist Hospital, Lynne Vandewalle, Director of Occupational Health for Employee Health, Chris Dunbar, COO at Methodist Hospital | Stone Oak, and Adrianna Hatch, RN, Employee Health/Case Manager at Methodist

Hospital | Stone Oak, all played instrumental roles in the success of our COVID-19 vaccine clinics. “It took a small army to operationalize our clinics, but with the leadership of this team, we were able to stand up two clinics to seamlessly vaccinate over 6,700 employees in record time,” said Barry Burns, Regional VP of Human Resources. “Their ability to work with an interdisciplinary group of leaders throughout the system was extremely valuable.” Referring to the impactful work being performed in these clinics as “a historical experience,” Hatch said, “We are making a change in society. We are saving lives through a different aspect. We may not be at the bedside, but we are keeping people from being hospitalized.” For many, receiving the COVID-19 vaccines is an emotional experience. Hatch describes the excitement seen in the faces of everyone from 20 to 90 years-old. “You are sitting here watching these giant gaps in generations who all come in and want to work together,” she says. “We are all pitching in trying to help each other out and keep each other safe.”

And on this anniversary, let us not forget the moving support from our community. “I’ve had more patients and their family members when they check in recognize us and ask us how we are doing and our families are doing even with us being on the front lines, it’s kind of reassuring that even during these chaotic times, people still care about other people,” Gudowski said.

A simple, universal truth is that no matter what comes our way or how difficult the challenge at hand may be, we are better together. As long as we lead with our humanity to care for one another, there is nothing to keep us from reaching the other side. You have all played a role in the response to COVID-19 and we wouldn’t’ have sent over 10,000 patients home to reunite with their loved ones without you. Thank you.