Photo: castanets / file
Management within the Short Term Department of the Cottonwoods Care Center recognizes the work of the staff in dealing with the COVID-19 outbreak.
The outbreak, declared on March 7, has been contained in 23 people in Cottonwoods, 20 patients and three employees. And due to the fact that many have been vaccinated, Interior Health has stated since the outbreak that the cases have been quite mild.
This was confirmed on Thursday by the Provincial Health Officer, Dr. Bonnie Henry repeats.
Castanet News was able to speak to three members of the IH team, Emma Guerrero Mohajir, a patient care coordinator, Jessica Barker, short stay manager, and Danielle Cameron, executive director of the Clinical Operations Community in Central Okanagan.
“When the outbreak was proclaimed, it was over a weekend. I think at that moment we as guides could choose the tone of this outbreak and decided to approach it very calmly and grounded, ”said Guerrero Mohajir.
“While there is a lot of fear associated with a COVID-19 outbreak, the fact that we were grounded as leaders meant our team would stay grounded.
“I heard during the outbreak that I should be anxious now, but I’m calm. I think that’s evidence of how we set the tone for this outbreak.”
She says Cottonwoods employees have spent the last year going through drills and safety logs in the event of an outbreak.
From a management perspective, Barker said it was important to bring everyone together and work together across the facility.
“Every day we as an institution, management team, practically of course huddle together. These lines of communication are important because we are a large facility and we have different programs, different staff, allied staff and support services, ”said Barker.
“We see it from an empathic point of view. I always see it from this patient- and family-oriented perspective and put myself in their shoes. When I advance as a pioneer, I have this in mind, that I want to ensure that we have a good one , maintain solid care from the perspective. “
Cameron admits much has been learned over the past year that was quickly put to the test when the outbreak was announced.
“It has been an all-hands-on-deck approach for the duration of this outbreak,” she says.
“We focused on knowing that it can be tough for our people at times, and as leaders, it’s our job to make sure our people have what they need to care for themselves and look after themselves at the same time to take care of our patients. “
Cameron says the staff’s positive response to the outbreak speaks for the strength of the Cottonwoods team.
“I appreciate everything our team has done over the past year to protect our residents, our building, our employees and our teams.
“Everyone did such a good job. It’s been a long year, people are tired. Let’s hope that we have reached the last few miles of this marathon and can look forward. We really did it all year round with all of them Precautions and all security measures that we have taken. We haven’t had to contend with that yet. “
She adds that it has been a long year for everyone – the last 380 days of continuous care for the last 380 days – to be there and be part of the family and the support system of the residents.
As the days progressed, Guerrero Mohahir admits that while health workers are tired, they don’t have that luxury.
“It is our duty to be there for our patients and their families.
“At 7:00 am the pots and pans stop ringing, but when you see a health care worker a thank you would just go that far.”
