COVID Lessons and Looking Toward the Future
March marked the anniversary of the start of the COVID-19 public health crisis. While most people were told to stay home, our essential health care workers continue providing dialysis, a life-sustaining therapy for our more than 8,000 patients.
The stakes had never been higher. As those living with end-stage kidney disease, our patients are at high risk of complications and death from the COVID-19 virus.
The days were long and the unknowns many. Looking back, we mourn each loss of life – patient, employee, and loved one. In their memory, we strive to learn what we can from the past year and apply these learnings to make life better for those who trust us with their kidney care.
Science Over Fear
In the early days, when so little about COVID-19 was known, our staff overcame fear for their personal well-being by getting information from reliable sources, asking questions, and trusting scientific fact.
Infection Control Measures
Research clearly shows that simple infection prevention – handwashing, cleaning surfaces, face coverings – reduces the spread of disease. But, with the speed and intensity of surge after surge of infection cases, our employees and patients experienced firsthand the importance of extra attention to these measures. Even in our locations dedicated to those tested positive with COVID-19, daily wellness checks and careful infection prevention meant dialysis could continue safely for both patients and their treatment teams.
Treatment Plans for People Who Were COVID Positive
Our patient care teams quickly learned new approaches to care; often multiple times in near real-time as medical guidelines were updated by the CDC. Their attentive and thoughtful flexibility meant that disruptions to treatment schedules and protocols were kept to a minimum and, when they occurred, were handled in a calm professional manner.
Telehealth
Using technology, we connected physicians and patients for routine visits. This allowed patients to stay safe in their home, avoiding exposure and the potential spread of the virus. Patients and physicians quickly adopted to virtual visits. A more permanent availability of telehealth is likely to usher in a new era of healthcare delivery.
Stronger Health Care Community
We faced COVID-19 challenges as a single health care community. This included collaborating with other dialysis providers to ensure everyone who needed treatment received it regardless of their COVID-19 status. It also meant recruiting nursing students to help with wellness checks and other simple COVID-related tasks so our licensed professionals could remain focused on treatment care. In addition, health care partners helped ensured our PPE supplies remained reliable and plentiful.
Through the last 12 months and even as we look to a brighter future, we our thankful for the resilience of our employees, patients, and community. While the way we do things has changed, our dedication to our patients and each other remains unchanged and never stronger.