Critical care nurses release “thank you” video: Seacoast health news
Appreciation video captures nurses’ experiences during COVID-19
DOVER – Critical care nurses at Wentworth-Douglass recently released a “thank you” video to express their appreciation to colleagues and the community, for helping to get them through the COVID-19 pandemic.
The six-minute video contains detailed and personal stories about what it was like to work on the frontlines during the height of the 2020 COVID-19 surge at Wentworth-Douglass.
While it was important for the nurses to express their gratitude, the experience of creating the video ended up being quite therapeutic for the nurses, as it empowered them to share experiences that some had been keeping to themselves, according to Michele Clark BSN, RN, nurse manager of the hospital’s Critical Care Unit.
“We know that storytelling is very therapeutic and is actually used in PTSD and stress workshops,” Clark said.
In the video, the nurses describe how the COVID-19 surge exploded almost overnight, as the hospital went from one to two patients to going well beyond the Critical Care Unit’s 11 bed capacity. As serious cases of COVID-19 increased, so did the losses, including cases where multiple family members passed away.
"I’ve been a nurse for 10 years and it’s probably the worst time in my 10 years in nursing,” Laura Carlson, RN, said in the video.
“As soon as you sent that patient off to the morgue, because that was many of the outcomes, you just no longer take your gown off and you get a call ‘we got someone else coming from the floor,’” Linda White, RN, recalled in the video.
Dealing with that volume of loss was a new experience for most of the nurses, according to Clark.
“In the CCU we are used to losing some people because of the very nature of what we do, but in a community hospital we tend to save a lot of people as well. I would say the ratio to how many people you save to how many people you lose is always much greater on the save side,” Clark said. “During our surge we might have had one or two survivors between 36 to 40 really ill COVID patients. That was just something that no one really could describe or anticipate, or even talk about.”
The video also captures how the hospital community came together during the crisis, with staff from the surgical and post-anesthesia care units joining the Critical Care Unit to help their colleagues treat patients.
“(The nurses) were just so wanting to tell everybody what it meant for people to be displaced out of their own jobs and come here to help with these patients and families, and to even experience things that maybe they weren’t quite prepared to experience,” Clark said. “The selflessness, respect, work ethic, and caring and compassion for each other was just astounding from all these people across the organization.”
Light-hearted moments in the video include the nurses talking about their Little Debbie snacks emotional support locker and recalling the many generous donations they received from the community, including 500 Lindt chocolate truffles, pizza, food baskets, and other items.
Clark hopes the community watches the video and knows how grateful the hospital staff is for their support, but also gains a new appreciation for what they faced during COVID-19.
The video can be viewed at: www.youtube.com/watch?v=bbF8BZ90b5g.
NH Healthy Families and New Hampshire Fisher Cats partner on Base Hits for Kids
BEDFORD – NH Healthy Families announced today it has teamed up with the New Hampshire Fisher Cats for the sixth consecutive year to support the Base Hits for Kids program.
On Aug. 6, NH Healthy Families Plan President and CEO Clyde White presented the Granite YMCA with a check for $10,000 during the Fisher Cats home game.
“Granite YMCA is grateful to NH Healthy Families not only for this generous contribution, but its ongoing partnership throughout the year,” said, Michele Sheppard, President & CEO of the Granite YMCA. “The funds combined with the partnership that NH Healthy Families puts forth really make a difference in the lives of our youth members.”
“We are delighted to support the great work of the Granite YMCA again this year,” said Clyde White, NH Healthy Families Plan Presdient and CEO. “We also appreciate the long-standing partnership with Fisher Cats. Their Base Hits For Kids program aligns perfectly with our purpose of transforming the health of the community, one person at a time.”
Before throwing out the first pitch, Broose the Moose, the NH Healthy Families mascot, distributed foam moose antlers that were worn by the more than 100 Granite YMCA members and their families who attended the game.
“We look forward every year to partnering with NH Healthy Families for Base Hits for Kids,” said Fisher Cats President, Mike Ramshaw. “There is no better way to celebrate summer than a night at the ball park, honoring kids and their families."
This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Critical care nurses release “thank you” video: Seacoast health news
