AAP Voices Blog

Grief, fear, sadness, anxiety and a whole spectrum of emotions have consumed us all. The scale of hardships caused by COVID-19 rapidly escalated, affecting everyone in every strata of society. No one is spared.

As a provider caring for the tiniest babies in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, the worry about our vulnerable, immunocompromised population acquiring the infection from the adult health care workers ruins the morale. The adult health care workers are at risk of transmitting infections to each other. The paranoia is crippling and not something one can harbor for long and expect to effectively function day to day. Fears of the known and unknown consume us all.

The joys of being a health care worker, the privilege we feel caring for our patients is now being jeopardized right under our noses. The staff I work with have expressed these vulnerabilities when prompted but given the severity of the situation we are in, it is not being vocalized often.

Is the magic of working in a hospital being snatched away by the coronavirus? Is it possible to reclaim this magic?

My dad, a retired physician in India, sent me a text: “Wherever there is a breakdown, there is always a breakthrough.” This statement endorsed for me that I cannot let my power be taken away from me; I cannot let myself be consumed with fear. I needed to take proactive measures and not let the virus run my life. I also needed to inspire others to do the same. 

The greatest tenet of Nationwide Children’s Hospital is to “do the right thing” for our patients. Helping the sick children in our hospital is to “do the right thing.” Showing up for work with a service-oriented attitude is to “do the right thing.” Inspiring one another to do our best is to “do the right thing.”

To make the best of the current situation, I decided to look around me for the magic. I decided to look around me for stories of people who are contributing in their own special way to make this a better place, despite the situation.

The transparent ongoing communication, along with inspirational stories shared by our CEO Tim Robinson, the strategic measures promptly undertaken by our hospital administration and the Emergency Preparedness Team, the rapid testing ability, and enhanced fit testing capability were reassuring. I have the deepest gratitude for our administration’s concern and sensitivity regarding the safety of our community’s children and employees. The strategic contingency and emergency planning, early adaptation of social distancing, rapid establishment of telehealth, virtual resident and fellow lectures, and work from home for non-clinical staff when possible are just a few great examples of the measures undertaken here at Nationwide Children’s. Resources, including access to wellness videos to ensure the well-being of the hospital staff were made immediately available.

The department of Pediatrics shared professional, personal and research goals one could work on during this period of crisis. Everyone in our division of Neonatology pitched in and we quickly developed a jeopardy call system, in the event one of our physician colleagues falls ill and unable to cover one of our clinical services. Adaptation in daily rounds, in the personnel attending deliveries further helped the care of our high-risk infants along with keeping the staff safe. As the scientific body of evidence started to emerge, there was a huge sigh of relief that the most vulnerable, sickest babies in our NICU were as a matter of fact relatively spared as of now (at the time this was written).

These inspirations add an additional spring in my step when I walk into the hospital every day and affect how I show up and shine my light. It occurred to me that just as the list of hardships continue, the list of triumphs increases exponentially. Out of suffering, emerge massive characters and strong souls. I wanted to share this piece because the truth is, you never know whose sky you are lighting up simply by being yourself. 

Stay inspired! Stay safe! Stay healthy! And stay sane!

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*The views expressed in this article are those of the author, and not necessarily those of the American Academy of Pediatrics.