LOUISVILLE, Ky. – As COVID-19 vaccine distribution begins, Kentucky’s healthcare workers have little relief in sight. Facing a third surge with mounting hospitalizations, they’re needed now more than ever.
Nurse Manager Angela Lux works in UofL Health - Jewish Hospital’s COVID-19 unit, where she and her colleagues deal with the unprecedented and unpredictable nature of the virus every day.
“It is taking a toll on us emotionally, physically, mentally. I’m very tired but we’re not gonna stop doing it,” Lux said. “We are committed and dedicated to caring for these patients.”
The 23-bed unit began treating COVID patients over the summer. Although many of their patients are very ill, the floor is not an Intensive Care Unit (ICU), and the nurses work tirelessly to prevent their patients from having to be sent to the ICU. Lux said the coronavirus patients being admitted now appear to be suffering from more severe symptoms than those she saw earlier in the pandemic.
“The sick that they are now is a different kind of sick. They seem to be sicker — a lot sicker. There seem to be a lot of respiratory issues going on,” Lux said.
COVID-19 has redefined care. In addition to broadening their clinical skills to better care for their patients’ medical needs, Lux and the nurses on her floor are providing emotional support for these isolated patients and their families.
“We get really attached to patients up here. We are their family member. We are their contact to the outside world,” Lux said. “I do know here lately we’ve been seeing a lot more poor outcomes on patients. Right before Thanksgiving, I sat in a room for an hour and a half holding someone’s hand as they passed away because their family couldn’t be here for them.”
As healthcare workers continue to learn more about the virus, they are also sending more patients home. It’s the poor outcomes, however, and unpredictable nature of the virus that keeps them up at night.
One of the most difficult things for Lux has been seeing the conditions of some patients, who seem to be on the road to recovery, take a sudden and deadly turn.
“They are up and walking and talking and joking and laughing with us and then 12 hours later they are no longer on this earth with us,” Lux recalled. “It is terrifying for us as nurses because we want the best outcomes for these patients. We want to make them get better. We love seeing these patients go home.”
Lux said those are the heartbreaking moments that weigh on healthcare workers long after they leave the hospital.
“There is no leaving it here,” Lux said. “We take it home with us. We wear it on our shoulders, we wear it on our heart, we wear it on our mind.”
As the pandemic continues, healthcare workers are leaning on each other as a source of support. Lux said she could have never predicted the challenges they are facing, but she is thankful to be surrounded by the capable and compassionate men and women on her floor.
“There is not another group of people I would ever want to do this with. The ladies and gentlemen that work on this floor, they are amazing – absolutely amazing,” said Lux. “They are by far the best nurses I have ever met in my entire life.”
Lux said community support also means a lot to healthcare workers. It’s something they saw a lot of at the beginning of the pandemic. She said you can support the healthcare worker in your life by simply saying ‘thank you’ or sending a text message to let them know you’re thinking about them.