Marshfield Clinic Nurse Manager: "Decisions I Have to Make Are Extremely Hard"

Monday, December 7th, 2020 -- 11:00 AM

-The nation and state continues to see an increase in coronavirus cases and deaths.

Clark County is no different.  For the beginning of this week, we’ll have a series of stories on the impact Clark County is seeing from the coronavirus from various local professionals and leaders.  The Marshfield Clinic is sharing videos from some of their staff working on the front lines during the coronavirus pandemic.  Heather Storch, Nurse Manager, shared her experience from the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic, describing what it’s really like for our staff and patients right now.

Heather:  “We’ve been to the point that we’ve double patient rooms now.  Some of the days we’ve been up to 43 patients.  My staff were the first in our hospital in March to experience taking care of a COVID patient.  Since March, we’ve had COVID patients.  In the last few weeks, we’ve changed from having maybe 4 patients and now, 43.  Our unit rarely experienced death, maybe once a month at the most.  In the last couple weeks, we’ve had deaths, sometimes everyday.  Yesterday, we had two deaths. It’s very challenging and emotionally straining for the staff.  But my staff have taken everything in stride.  They’re there 16+ hours and then coming back the next day.  They’re wearing full PPE.  N95 masks everyday.  They’re going 8, sometimes 12 hours where they don’t even get a break.”

“We’re very thankful for all the help that we’ve gotten, but at this point, it’s just something that’s unimaginable until you’re there in the middle of everything.  My staff, right now, are emotionally strained.  They are extremely exhausted both physically and mentally.  I can talk for what they’re feeling, but until you talk with one of them directly, you really cannot feel what they’re feeling.  As a manger, I’ve been in nursing for 14 years, but I’ve never imagined that this is something that we would have to go through.  The decisions that I need to make, on a daily basis, of allowing a family member to come and see one of their family members, who is dying, for the last time is extremely hard.”

“The patients that we’re caring for are coming into the hospital after being in a nursing home, sometimes for months, and have not seen their family for months.  We’re doing everything that we can to have them allow communication with their family, but it’s very stressful.  It’s very emotional.  I’m out there trying to do what I can for my staff.  I can say that I’m very proud of them.  I can say that since March, my unit has only had 3 COVID positive nurses.  We take it very seriously.  My nurses are afraid, yes, of what they’re taking home to their families, but they understand the importance of why they went into the nursing field and what we need to do to take care of these patients when they need us now more than ever.”

“I just want to also thank everybody.  I know multiple different people are helping us, trying to get helping hands.  We just need nurses, nursing staff that can be at the bedside, caring for these patients.  Because now, more than ever, these patients need us.  We are, sometimes, the only one they communicate with for days.  So, we now, more than ever, need to make sure that we have the staff there caring for them.”

Feel free to contact us with questions and/or comments.