ISS, Nursing Teams Work Stronger Together to Keep Families Connected

Health care has always been a team effort, but  during the COVID-19 pandemic working Stronger    Together to put patients first can have a dramatic, positive impact on the lives of our patients and families.

That’s why the members of our Information       Services and Nursing teams work hand-in-hand, often behind-the-scenes, to ensure patients get the care they need, and their loved ones can stay connected despite the challenges created by the pandemic.

While hospital visitation has re-opened, during the height of the public health crisis many patients and families were unable to have in-person        visitation. This was the case for one of Alice Hyde’s first COVID-19 patients, who was receiving care in our Intermediate Care Unit (IMCU) and    unable to see their loved ones in-person.

Enter Shannon Legacy, Alice Hyde’s Director of IT Operations, and James Cooley, Alice Hyde’s Manager of Infrastructure. Shannon and Jim worked together with Angela Penera, LPN, a Clinical Analyst and the architect of The Alice  Center’s Virtual Visitation program, to set up iPads for hospital patients to use in order to have video visits during these challenging times.

While Shannon, Jim and Angela worked behind the scenes to set up the system, Jessica           Patterson, RN, who is a member of Alice Hyde’s IMCU and Emergency Department nursing teams, worked with the patient, their family and her fellow nurses to ensure the critical visitation sessions were primed for success. In addition to               coordinating the patient’s visit with family      members and providing in-person support to     ensure the technology was working correctly   during their visit, Jessica also created step-by-step instructions for Alice Hyde’s nursing teams to use when facilitating video visits.

“It’s a lot of extra work, but it is absolutely worth it,” she said of the extra steps the nursing team has taken during the pandemic to connect patients and their loved ones. “We need to remember that it’s so important to take that extra minute to help a  patient connect with their family. It doesn’t matter how busy you are.”

For Shannon, watching her team’s work supporting Alice Hyde’s clinical teams throughout the    crisis has been rewarding. It’s also given the 33-year veteran of Alice Hyde a chance to recapture the experience of providing patient care.

“Every member of this team has stepped up to meet the challenge,” she said. “I’m very proud of them all. For me, it took me back to that place of patient care, which I miss very much. It’s just a very rewarding thing to be able to work together and make that positive outcome happen.”