“It’s Like a War Zone in a Third World Country.”

There is no question that life has changed around the globe due to COVID-19, but healthcare workers are struggling more than others. Citizens are not taking the precautions in order to slow the spread of this virus, and that has left healthcare workers feeling the real consequences of this virus. 

Lynn Honaker is a registered nurse working in the Emergency Room at Henry Ford Sterling Heights Hospital. She says the scariest thing is the fact the people are not taking this virus seriously. She told me a bit about Sinai-Grace, a hospital in Detroit, that was hit hard with COVID-19 patients. 

“It’s like a warzone in a third world country in that ER,” she said. “They have body bags bodies stacked up in utility rooms because they have nowhere to put them. They don’t have enough staff, and people are dying in the hallways. It’s very regimented and it takes really tough backbone to be there.” 

Henry Ford Hospital had been stocking up on PPE since early December. The managers realized they were not invincible or immune to this virus and started preparing as soon as Wuhan and Italy’s hospitals were swarmed with COVID, according to Honaker.

“Our management was ordering PPE in December and January such ventilators and tubes,” she said. “We get palettes full of shipments weekly. We truly have an amazing supply of PPE. We can get gowns, gloves, and masks when we need them. It’s not going to last forever though, and we will need more during the regular flu season. We do limit N95 usage because there is a major shortage; we use them about a week or until they fall apart.”

Lynn said one of the worst things is that people are not taking this virus as serious as it is. 

“It’s frustrating because I don’t see people taking this seriously,” Lynn said. “I hear horror stories and people just don’t understand. I wish people could come to an ICU or ER and see first-hand what this virus does. They thank healthcare workers without knowing why it is so hard to go to work every day, why it is important to wash your hands, or wear a mask.”

Healthcare workers said people are not accepting the reality of this virus until it impacts someone close to them. Lynn talked about the emotional moment when she put her co-worker on a ventilator after he brushed off his sickness for a few days. 

“As it gets closer and closer into your circle and people die, then you realize,” she said. “We had a few of our staff members test positive after brushing off a minor symptom after a few days. Before we put him on a ventilator, he like looked at me and asked, ‘Am I going to be okay?’ That ripped my heart out. He died soon after that.”

Jen Boucher, an emergency room nurse practitioner and co-worker of Lynn, told me about some of the changes she and her co-worker have encountered during this pandemic. 

“At first it was busier, and the patients were sicker,” Jen said. “Now it’s slow because everyone is afraid to come to the ER, and the patients that do come are super sick with COVID.” 

It is surprising that the emergency room is slow at this time, but people are so afraid of going there that they must take extra precaution doing everyday tasks in order to avoid having to go to the hospital. That’s a good mindset, as COVID spreads through the air and by touching the face. 

In December and January, the virus had taken over China and Italy, that is when the government should have started preparing instead of feeling invincible ((Is this your opinion or hers?)). Each healthcare professional I interviewed said they wished that the Federal government had taken the virus more seriously during the early stages. 

“I wish they had started limiting travel and starting social distancing earlier,” said Jen.  “That way maybe it would not have gotten so bad in the United States.”

Alexis Lombardo is a nurse assistant at Lutheran Hospital in Fort Wayne. Originally working in the cardiac center, her unit has been turned into a place where patients wait for their COVID results. Alexis has yet to graduate and being thrown into this was something she never expected but is looking on the positive side. 

“The change has impacted literally everything we do on a daily basis,” said Alexis. “This is a tremendous life experience. I plan to be a physician’s assistant and I think this has been a great learning experience, truly once in a lifetime to work as a healthcare worker during a pandemic. I haven’t even graduated yet and I am exposed to this opportunity to learn. As crazy as it has been, I am able to learn from this.” 

While looking on the positive side of this, there are very real implications that come with committing to be a healthcare worker right now. I was shocked when she said there had been no pandemic crisis plan in place. Thinking she would be working with patients with heart issues, she was thrown into this COVID unit- and the scariest part is not knowing. 

“We truly didn’t have a pandemic plan in place, which I’m sure will change after this.” Alexis said. “The scariest part is the unknown; the patients on my floor haven’t tested positive or negative yet, so I could be caring for a patient for 30-40 minutes and not know if I am in contact with COVID. My job is to care for them and get them what they need- regardless of if they are positive or not. It is scary knowing that you could be contracting this illness.” 

Alexis’s hospital is offering free counseling to their employees to aid with the mental and emotional strain of dealing with this pandemic.

These medical professionals want people to take this virus seriously, even before you are impacted directly. These three women have seen the real life consequences of contracting this virus, and it is much more real than it seems. Limit leaving your house, wash your hands, wear a mask, and uphold social distancing guidelines.