Monroe nurses on NYC's frontline

Three Monroe County, Miss., health care workers have been on the frontline in the epicenter of the world’s COVID-19 pandemic, New York City. Brooke Reeves and Lauren Sloan, both licensed nurse practitioners from Amory and Hatley respectively, were assigned to Metropolitan Hospital Center in Manhattan. Brianna Sloan of Amory, an intensive care unit nurse at North Mississippi Medical Center in Tupelo, was assigned to Elmhurst Hospital in Queens, NY. Reeves and Sloan were between jobs at the time the pandemic hit. “We applied and (in) less than two days, we were on a plane to New York,” Sloan said. “I thought my husband was going to freak … but this was a chance to be a part of something bigger than us.” Reeves and Sloan spent their first three weeks in the post-anesthesia care unit, which was turned into a unit for COVID-19 patients. Since then, they have been moved to the ICU working nights. One of the more difficult parts for front line workers dealing with COVID-19 patients is that family members are unable to be with them, even during their final days. Face-Timing with patients’ family members has become a norm, even in their final moments of life. “They die a lonely death, and that is something we have never encountered before,” Sloan lamented. Brianna Sloan also kept in close contact with patients’ families, and hopes it was a comfort to many that caregivers were with their loved ones when they passed. None of three had ever been to NYC before. They were shocked how empty the city was, compared to global images. “It’s like a ghost town,” Brianna Sloan said. The city has embraced frontline workers with signs in Times Square, salutes by police officers, and cheers and prayers from those quarantined at home. At 7 p.m. nightly, “they all get on their balconies and cheer for the frontline medical workers,” Brianna said. “It really does keep you going.” Reeves and Sloan have signed up for eight more weeks in NYC. “We can leave early, but I can’t imagine it,” Lauren said. "It’s been hard, and I have matured. Your perspective changes, and you realize that some things are not as important as others.” Brianna, who is home, plans on going back once her quarantine period has passed. (Source: Monroe Journal/Amory, Miss. 05/13/20) https://www.djournal.com/monroe/news/go-time-monroe-county-nurses-respond-to-new-york-city-s-covid-19-crisis/article_9a04fb40-beb2-547c-8d94-3ba4e19685bc.html