COVID-19 through a Nurse’s eyes
FOUNTAIN, Colo. (KRDO) - It has been a long and difficult year for health care workers as they've been battling COVID-19 on the frontlines.
May 6th marked the official beginning of Nurses Week, which runs through May 12th.
Nurses at Peak Vista Community Health Care Center, a health care center dedicated to providing dental, behavioral, and medical services to the community, spoke to KRDO about the past year.
Several say though it's been a unique year, they are thankful the COVID-19 vaccine has played a major factor in calming the storm.
For registered nurse Jillian Waugh, she explains her first year as a nurse was significantly different from what she was expecting.
"My experience has been based on how COVID looks in the health care world so I don't really know it compared to a regular world, but it has been a crazy ride," said Waugh.
Pamela Halley, a registered nurse for 17 years, said she has seen a lot of fear from patients in the last year. She said many patients are afraid to leave their homes out of fear of contracting the virus.
Throughout the pandemic, nurses played a vital part in testing patients for the virus.
"A lot of times we don't even know we are treating them at first, they come in for a cough and then we do a point of care and test them and see if they have been infected with COVID," added Waugh.
They've also been a key role in vaccinating the community.
Specifically, at Peak Vista Community Health Care Center in Fountain, they've given out more than 500 first doses of the Moderna vaccine.
On average at Peak Vista, they see one to two COVID patients a week.
Waugh told KRDO she has a message from all nurses, "To the general public, please, please keep being safe. As much as we want to forget about it, please keep in mind that this is something that is still going on."
Nurses have worked diligently to protect patients while actively trying to calm the storm hospitals have endured. Several say they are thankful for vaccines and have hope for the future.
