TOP 25
WINNER
HEALTHCARE force for change nj . com
A COMMUNITY-FOCUSED HOSPITAL OFFERING HIGH QUALITY , SAFE PATIENT CARE WITH A PATIENT-CENTERED APPROACH
What we had during the surge was the ability to push past fear and come together for our patients and for each other .
Carol Ash , DO , FACHE , MBA , MHCDS , Chief Medical Officer Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Rahway
Dr . Carol Ash Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Rahway
732.499.6134 Carol . Ash @ rwjbh . org rwjbh . org / rahway
The coronavirus pandemic is a cruel teacher . As we learn more about this novel virus , its transmission and who it affects , we also are learning about ourselves .
Our hospital began receiving patients with Covid-19 in mid-March . In a matter of weeks , the flow of acutely ill patients was relentless at our community hospital . A patient would walk in the Emergency Department and their condition would deteriorate quickly , sending them to Critical Care and requiring ventilation . Young people were seriously ill . In a matter of weeks , we were at 110 % of our capacity with every floor occupied with Covid-19 patients . Information came flooding in , some of it confusing and contradictory . We faced shortages of critical supplies , such as protective equipment and certain medications . Yet through it , we were able to respond to the needs of our patients and able to discharge more people home . While equipment supplies were tight , we did not run out of protective equipment .
During the worst of it , we learned that we had to push past the self-preservation and paralysis that accompanies fear to help our patients .
What helped us do that was collaboration . Getting a number of different voices and disciplines together to solve problems led to a number of innovations that helped us cope with staffing , patient care , sourcing of supplies and communication .
A few examples . Early in the pandemic , our Plant Services Department worked with Nursing to create additional negative pressure rooms to help with airflow and prevent the spread of the illness . Nursing leadership , materials management , medical staff and housekeeping helped source sanitizer and protective equipment , as well as other supplies . Our Anesthesia and Respiratory professionals collaborated to manage complex patients , and our nursing and therapy staff were early users of FaceTime and other platforms so doctors , patients and families could communicate . Nursing , Emergency Management , our Foundation and others worked with our county and members of the community to help provide equipment , food and supplies .
I am our hospital ’ s Chief Medical Officer trained in Pulmonology and Critical Care , but much of my role was to reassure staff that while this was a novel virus and there was a lot we did not know , there was a lot we did . A lot of my job was Chief Reassurance Officer , reassuring staff that they had the skills and knowledge to treat these critically ill patients . Collectively , we had the ability , the skills and the knowledge to provide good care for our critically ill patients .
Our community , which was so supportive , called us superheroes . And while that ’ s flattering , we don ’ t hold superpowers . What we had during the surge was the ability to push past fear and come together for our patients and for each other .
This pandemic is a cruel teacher , but I hope its big lesson will stick : When healthcare professionals come together with courage and purpose , we come through for our community .
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