Our Community 2020 | Page 8

Honesty Thomas, CNA at Arcadia Care of Danville, poses for a photo with co-worker Dorothy Kelley. Honesty Thomas COMMUNITY 2019 8 BY CAROL ROEHM [email protected] Honesty Thomas always had a desire to help out wherever and whenever needed. When Thomas embarked on her journey at Danville Area Community College in 2011 to become a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA), little did she know how important her job would become this year. She is now the lead CNA at Arcadia Care on North Bowman Avenue, where she cares for dozens of residents, some of whom have not seen their loved ones in person since March. “I assist residents with feeding, toileting, bathing, grooming and personal hygiene,” she said. “I answer call lights and pass the hall cart with meal trays. “I get them ready for therapy and social activities, and I dress them, shave them and clip their fingernails,” she added. Although Thomas has worked at the same nursing home facility since 2008, it was called Danville Care back then and she had a different job. A new owner acquired the facility in February and changed the name to Arcadia Care. “I started here as a housekeeper,” she said. “There was a lot I wanted to do here, but couldn’t do. I wanted to help out more.” SUSAN JOY MCKINNEY/OUR COMMUNITY CNAs continue to assist area residents That’s when she decided to enroll in the CNA program at DACC. In addition to providing daily care to the residents, Thomas also manages the schedules of her peers. “Being the lead CNA, I’m the shift coordinator and I make sure we have enough staff for both buildings,” she said, referring to the New Focus Achievement Center, next door to Arcadia Care. “I assist with call-ins and finding (shift) coverage,” she added. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, Thomas’ job already entailed quite a bit of responsibly, but that has greatly increased since March. “The pandemic has affected our job because we have to ensure the