At the Alliance City Council meeting on Nov. 17, two people on the front lines of fighting the spread of COVID-19 shared their stories with the council members, urging them to support them in encouraging people to wear masks.
BBGH CEO Lori Mazanec spoke to council members to start their meeting. Her comments may be found in the Nov. 25 edition of the Alliance Times-Herald. Next, Box Butte General Hospital PA-C – Emergency Department Steve Van Noy shared his story, noting that the virus has impacted many people of those in the healthcare industry as they fight to save lives.
“It’s been very eye opening in the last few months,” said Van Noy. “Back in the spring, we weren’t seeing much. I thought, maybe we’re all doing the right thing here: it’s not coming here. We’re going to be the best in the state—the best in the country. And then, once it came, it came hard.
“It’s frightening,” Van Noy said. “I’ve had somebody suffocate in front of me. They asked me if they were going to die, and I knew what the answer was. It’s frustrating when we don’t see people wearing masks, then I see the same people in the ER, then they test positive for COVID. They’re some of the same people that put some odd arguments out as to why they don’t need to wear one, but it is a life saver. The Panhandle of Nebraska is just out of control right now. I can’t believe how many deaths there’s been.”
Van Noy explained to the council that his daughter tested positive for the virus, noting that she went to the ER on four separate occasions. He shared the toll it is taking on him.
“It’s frustrating, it’s scary. It’s making going to work not very much fun anymore,” said Van Noy. “I see so many positive cases. Many of these I send out because they’re positive, but they’re healthy enough to go home. (…) Two weeks ago, when I worked, I couldn’t ship anybody to Rapid City, all the way to Omaha, Cheyenne, Fort Collins or Loveland. I finally called Denver Health, I’d never sent anybody there. They had three beds. I was scared: I thought I wasn’t going to get this patient out, and this wasn’t a COVID patient. We’re getting killed by this, and I feel like we can control. We can do a better job of controlling it.”
Comparing wearing a mask to wearing a seat belt, Van Noy explained he does not understand the reticence people have about wearing masks.
“I see a lot of people get upset over wearing masks, and I don’t understand why,” Van Noy said. “You have to wear a seatbelt. I have to wear a helmet when I ride my motorcycle. I’m certain they do the same thing, so why not wear a mask? I don’t understand it. It’s very frustrating. It just doesn’t seem like it’s getting any better. I can’t look at any one of you guys and tell you who’s going to do well with it and who’s going to get sick and die with it. It’s just frightening.”
Next, BBGH MD – Hospitalist Terri Myers spoke to council members about the in-patient care being provided at the hospital, noting the large patient load.
“I have never experienced a patient load like we’ve had in the last three to four weeks,” said Myers. “We’ve had times in the past where our hospital is full, and those times are generally brief, three, four, five days at the most. Then it would seem like we have a bunch of patients who all get to go home at the same time, and we’re back to a normal level for our in-patient census. In the last three or four weeks we’ve consistently had upwards of 18, 19, 20 patients, constantly. We’re not seeing that outflux like we normally get. We’re seeing COVID patients who aren’t able to be dismissed in the normal three or four days that most usual patients are able to.
“Our typical illnesses that we admit people for, chest pain to make sure they’re not having a heart attack, pneumonia, heart failure, that kind of stuff, this is different. This is taking a hospitalization to the next level,” said Myers.
Myers explained that the nurses are working hard in these times, maintaining their motivation through caring for the patients. She noted that the disregard in the community toward wearing masks is disheartening, though she said the backing of community leaders helps to relay the message to others.
Mayor Mike Dafney voiced his support for the work that healthcare providers are doing, noting the importance of wearing masks and taking other precautions to slow the spread of the virus.