North Alabama health care workers frustrated with people not taking coronavirus seriously

North Alabama health care workers frustrated with people not taking coronavirus seriously

Patients are on ventilators.

Helen keller hospital in sheffield currently has 29 covid patients in its covid unit... health care workers there tell us they are exhausted after months of battling the virus.

Waay31's breken terry spoke with a nurse at the hospital and the hospital's president about the challenges they're facing.

Health care staff tell me it's been a long 10 months and there are no signs of the coronavirus slowing down, while they're tired and pushed inside the hospital walls employees told me there are many things citizens can to do help them, like wearing a mask.

Sands- staffing can be critical at times.

We have nurses that are getting sick.

We have physicians that are getting sick but were bringing them back as quick as we can.

Helen keller hositals chief nursing officer sherry sands hasn't had a break since the pandemic started but she's not complaining about that.

Sands- we're doing the best that we can to stay strong and stay well through all of this.

Morale is a struggle but we do what we can do to keep the morale up across the hospital.

Sands said a morale booster would be seeing more people wear masks out in the community.

Sands- it is so frustrating to see people out in the community that aren't doing their part to keep this from spreading from other people out in the community.

While sands and her staff are prepare for a thanksgiving spike in cases, higher ups like hospital president kyle buchanan are bracing too.

Buchanan- there are several facets to it.

One aspect is how would we bring in additional staff if needed?

Two, what equipment would we need along the lines of ventilators and other equipment and medications and lastly what would we reduce on the other side of the house so to speak to preserve resources to bring into our covid unit and er that have increased pressure.

Of those 29 patients in the covid unit at helen keller five are critical.

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