MIDLAND, Texas — With more and more people testing positive for COIVD-19, no one knows how dangerous the virus is better than those working in healthcare.
Medical professionals are three times more likely to catch the virus.
“We have a total of 61 employees who have either had an exposure outside of work or at work," Russell Meyers, Midland Health, CEO said. "11 of those 61 are self-isolating at home.”
No Midland Memorial Hospital employees have walked away from the job, in fact, they have stepped up to hold the front line.
“Currently we don’t have anyone who’s walking off the job," Kit Bredimus, MMH Chief Nursing Officer, said. "We do have folks that are concerned and we’ve made reasonable accommodations for them to be able to practice still."
One of those employees whose been relocated is Alison Tompkins.
She has been a nurse at the hospital for 23 years.
“In healthcare, there is no normal," Tompkins said. "You have to be flexible and ready for anything. It’s a calling to become a nurse.”
She is also a breast cancer survivor. She beat the disease three years ago.
“It opened my eyes to how patients are feeling when they are diagnosed with something like that," Tompkins said. "They are fearful and have a lot of questions.”
Tompkins normally works in the Preoperative Assessment Center, but since the hospital’s canceled all elective surgeries until further notice, she is now working for the 6-8 NURSE hotline, screening patients for COVID-19.
Working the hotline, allows her to help patients without being exposed.
“It’s really important that we keep our healthcare workers on the job," Meyers said. "We want to take care of them and give them opportunities to take care of themselves and be more protected."
For Midland Memorial Hospital, protecting its employees is the first step to protecting the rest of the public from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Efforts the hospital says, are not going anywhere.
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