Nancy Reynolds had a routine. As the system director of infection prevention and control at Summa Health System, she would review lab results, stop by patient units to check on those in isolation and attend a few meetings.
“The day was quiet, structured and organized,” she says. But when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, an incident command center opened, limited coronavirus testing began and a mobile hospital tent went up to triage patients who might have coronavirus at the Akron campus. Now she is always on the run. Reynolds usually spends up to 14 hours at the Akron hospital implementing the newest preventative guidelines and getting updates out to ensure everyone is protected against the virus.
Q: How have things changed since the outbreak started?
A: It's fast and furious. With COVID, I am getting between 200 and 300 emails a day, fear from the health care providers, fear for their families. I try to make connections with people from different practices all day long. They need to see an infection control presence on their unit in order to help calm their fears. It's answering their questions and being visible to the staff more than ever before. We have to continue educating. That is what really saves you from these exposures. You learn these skills in nursing school, and then over time, we've become a little lax. COVID really brings to the forefront, I have got to make sure I wash my hands, I put things on in order. I need to be meticulous.
Q: How are you handling the lack of personal protective equipment?
A: As of today, we still have PPE we can provide to our employees, and I feel very good about that. When we may not be able to obtain enough, we're following the CDC guidelines looking at innovative ways to conserve. We're doing the education to save unnecessary use. We have our volunteer department making cloth masks for the worst-case scenario. Every organization is dealing with the same issue. [It’s] looking at the situation, looking at the supply inventory, How can we best make your environment safer? That is the challenge of the coronavirus that every infection control nurse is tasked with — the safety of health care workers.
Q: What else has changed about your role?
A: I’m one of the point people for physicians when they suspect a case. We review the situation, What are the patient's symptoms? Did they travel? Were they exposed to anyone? We have an algorithm we follow with every patient to make sure that we are putting those patients in isolation as quickly as possible to prevent exposure. We work off of science. Everything is evidence based.
Q: How is your family taking it?
A: My family knows I don't need added stress when I come home, so the house is in order, the meal is made, they clean up after. I don't have to do anything but just eat my meal, put my feet up and relax. I have a wonderful family. I'm very blessed.
Q: How has this changed you personally?
A: It gives me a better appreciation of my life, my family, my friends, my co-workers — everybody is comforting. I've learned that I can handle more and I can rely on others more. It's really made me a better person. It's made me stronger.
