"Be prepared, not panicked."
Blount Memorial Hospital used this phrase as a mantra throughout the phases of the COVID-19 pandemic, whether dealing with ensuring adequate personal protective equipment or reckoning with the effects of lower volumes of patients.
Knox.biz typically recognizes a handful of Health Care Heroes each year. But it doesn't seem right to single out just six physicians, nurses, therapists or other clinicians right now, when each one is on the frontier of medicine and care.
So this year's Health Care Heroes are all of East Tennessee's caregivers.
We asked hospitals and medical providers to explain their experiences throughout the pandemic. In an exclusive survey with Knox.biz, they shared the challenges and successes they've faced these last six months. There has been loss, there has been pain, but there have also been moments of pride.
"During times of crisis, it is often then that creativity and innovation emerge," The University of Tennessee Medical Center responded.
Indeed, the pandemic has impacted every specialty, from critical care to maternity to mental health.
And health systems got innovative to get the job done. TeamHealth's national support center in Knoxville gathered and shipped masks, face shields, gowns and supplies to its clinicians nationwide.
Covenant Health launched "Helen," an online chat staffed by medical professionals to answer questions about COVID-19 and now general medical care. It averages about 200 contacts per day.
East Tennessee Children's Hospital's simulation and innovation center began printing 3D swabs to prepare for a shortage, as well as "ear savers," which provide comfort to those wearing face masks many hours a day.
Summit Medical Group developed a phone triage system for patients who have potentially been exposed to COVID-19 and is in the process of establishing on-site testing.
Those are just a few examples of the resiliency of our health care providers.
Health care practitioners have more uncertain days ahead as the protocols for testing, treatment and eventually disbursement of a vaccine will change. But what won't change is their commitment to caring for the people of East Tennessee and beyond.
"The pandemic has shown us the true soul and grit of each Tennova employee," Tennova shared. "The sense of teamwork has been astounding. They take each new challenge this virus yields us and exceed any expectation."
Here are the Health Care Heroes we're honoring:
While hospitals await return of emergency room patients, clinicians innovate
Emergency rooms at times are the most hectic department of any hospital. The spread of COVID-19 brought them, at least for a time, to a standstill.
But they knew some patients needed care in a safe environment. They opened ERs in tents and even shifted some of their workers to create newer, safer practices.
READ MORE ABOUT LOCAL INNOVATIONS
Intensive care units turned to team-building
COVID-19 patients housed in the intensive care unit are the sickest. Clinicians were challenged with finding new ways for patients to interact with families.
Nurses facilitated Zoom calls for patients to see families, and for those patients who could not communicate themselves, nurses would communicate with the family on their behalf.
READ MORE ON HOW THE PANDEMIC SHIFTED ICU CARE
How respiratory and pulmonary units prepared for a surge
Researchers and doctors discovered early in the COVID-19 pandemic how dangerous the virus's effect on the body's respiratory system could be.
In respiratory and pulmonary units everywhere, providers prepared for the worst. Meeting the needs of the pandemic and patients required providers to be resourceful and creative.
READ ABOUT LOCAL HOSPITALS' EFFORTS
How the COVID-19 pandemic has changed primary care
Health care providers across local systems saw a drop in patients coming in for annual checkups, mammogram screenings and other routine but necessary appointments as COVID-19 cases spread across the region.
However, health care leaders didn't become complacent – they got creative.
READ HOW LOCAL DOCTORS CONTINUED TREATING PATIENTS
How COVID-19 affected maternity units at hospitals
Newborns entered a new world, both literally and figuratively, during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Policies to protect patients and providers like limited visitation and new clinical care practices were implemented by staff in the maternity, labor and delivery departments at East Tennessee hospitals.
READ ABOUT HOW HOSPITALS STILL MADE BIRTHS SPECIAL
East Tennessee clinicians expand telehealth to meet mental health needs
The pandemic has had a profound impact on the mental health of people around the world. Likely that toll will continue for now.
It's a battle providers anticipate will continue into 2021, as issues of isolation, financial difficulties and general stress over the pandemic continue.
READ HOW MENTAL HEALTH PROVIDERS ARE OFFERING SENSITIVE AND TIMELY CARE
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September 10, 2020 at 09:03PM
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Knox.biz and Knox News honor 2020's brave Health Care Heroes who work through the pandemic - Knoxville News Sentinel
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