5 minute read
Challenges, rewards of leadership during a pandemic
By Greg Basky
Since the pandemic was officially declared in Saskatchewan on March 18, 2020, physicians around the province have given tirelessly of themselves to keep patients safe and healthy.
Meet four of your colleagues who have stepped out of their regular roles to help lead the province’s medical response to COVID-19.
Dr. Satchan Takaya
In the months since COVID-19 hit Saskatchewan, Dr. Satchan Takaya has served as pandemic physician lead for infectious diseases, chair of the provincial screening working group, Saskatoon pandemic area chief of staff, and most recently immunization physician co-lead for Saskatoon. She’s found it challenging at times, switching hats, trying to remember whether she’s supposed to be bringing a provincial perspective to the table or a local one. When first asked to step up, Dr. Takaya – whose regular job is as a clinical infectious diseases doctor – said she was more of a follower than a leader. “I guess I’ve proven myself wrong. I’m hoping I can take that (new skills) forward and use it in future roles.”
Dr. Takaya says two images will stick with her long after the pandemic is over. She remembers the first COVID-19 patient she saw on a ventilator in the ICU late in spring 2020. “I walked in and there were plastic walls up and everyone was in full PPE. I can remember thinking to myself: Oh boy, we’re in trouble. This is real.” That image, though, is offset by the joy she felt walking into a personal care home and seeing the residents lined up outside the dining area waiting their turn to be vaccinated. “When we came in, they were all clapping. That was a huge moment.”
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Dr. Mark Fenton
For Dr. Mark Fenton, the pandemic has shown just how nimble the health care system can actually be, with people identifying a problem, thinking of a solution, and then implementing it, all on very short timelines. “We’ve repeatedly looked at each other and said, ‘Holy moly! Before the pandemic it would have taken us 10 years to get this done. And we just finished it in a week.’ ” Dr. Fenton, who is division head of respirology, critical care and sleep medicine at the University of Saskatchewan, was in the early days of the pandemic heavily involved in the province’s PPE task force; he’s since also taken on the role of pandemic chief of staff for Saskatoon.
Another big positive to come from the pandemic, Dr. Fenton says, is that it has required physicians and the operational side of the Saskatchewan Health Authority to closely align their thinking and to consider the other’s perspective in decision making. “I’ve gained a real appreciation for how the operations side thinks, and I think they’ve gained an appreciation as to how we (physicians) think as well. The two (perspectives) are very complementary and help us get to even better decisions.”
Dr. Fenton says he’s also encouraged by the level of engagement among his physician colleagues and among professionals and administrators across the health system. “Everyone is just so committed and willing to invest themselves in this effort,” he says. “Honestly, it’s just been really inspiring.”
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Dr. John Froh
Dr. John Froh says the pandemic has shone a spotlight on the power of teamwork. “If you try to approach this as a bunch of individuals, you won’t succeed,” says Dr. Froh, who stepped out of his role as emergency room physician and medical director of STARS (Shock Trauma Air Rescue Service) to serve as deputy chief medical officer. “What we’re seeing is that you really do need to bring the team to bear upon the problems we’re trying to solve. That team stretches from the person who’s helping you with parking (at the hospital) to the intensive care physician.”
Dr. Froh believes the work he’s done in the months since the beginning of the pandemic has affected more people’s lives in a positive way than anything he’s done in the past 20 years of working in emergency, being part of STARS, or caring for patients at mass casualty events. “When you look at the potential number of patients who can become sick or die during the pandemic, helping to respond to that in a way that minimizes death and disability is very rewarding,” he said.
While he will be glad to put much of the pandemic in the rearview mirror, Dr. Froh hopes we can all carry forward the patience and empathy we’ve learned to extend to one another. “One of the things we tell people during the pandemic is be kind. I want that awareness to continue.”
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Dr. Jasmine Hasselback
Since her “battlefield promotion” to the lead Medical Health Officer for Saskatoon in April 2020, Dr. Jasmine Hasselback has been a jack of all trades, dropping in where she’s needed, then pivoting to a new role, always focused on preventing spread of the virus. Early on, she provided public health clinical support and guidance to the Saskatoon Interagency Response to COVID-19, a collective of community-based organizations focused on helping already marginalized groups and individuals deal with new challenges posed by COVID-19. “I spent a lot of time at the beginning helping bridge and providing clinical support to that group, until they became experts themselves. I’m very proud of what was built by Saskatoon.”
Dr. Hasselback says it’s been tough in her role, always asking people to sacrifice – from individuals to self-isolate to businesses to change the way they operate. “I know that I am doing this because the virus, an inert and unbiased little bug, requires it be done to save lives – but it is still very, very hard.” Still, she’s found it encouraging to see a renewed appreciation for the value of upstream and preventive thinking in the way health care is delivered. “To see it play out everywhere, from funding, to allotment of resources, to regularly talking about how to prevent cases, that’s what’s been most gratifying.” ◆
