Honoring Heroes in Healthcare: Trained for the Task

Dr. Birnholz:
Coming to you from the ReachMD studios, this is a special edition of COVID-19: On the Frontlines. I’m Dr. Matt Birnholz, and as a continuation of our “Heroes in Healthcare” initiative, today’s episode will feature a few outstanding individuals who were recognized by their peers for inspiring contributions to care amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Our first hero is Dr. Sandra Adams, a Professor of Medicine in the Pulmonary and Critical Care Division of UT Health San Antonio. In the words of one of her peers,

Dr. Adams works tirelessly to support all her patients, even though it has meant that time with her family has been reduced to nothing. And she continually strives to find ways to give back to others by writing and having a handwashing song for children produced in the hopes that preventive measures instilled in the youth of our country will have a positive impact on the health of our nation.

Another hero who left an impression on her colleagues at Mountain Vista Medical Center in Arizona is Ms. Gabriela Alexis Guzman. Here’s just a snippet of this inspiring nurse’s story:

Gabi is an ICU nurse that responded to the need for ICU nurses to help with caring for COVID-19 patients this summer. She traveled to Mesa, Arizona without knowing anyone there and helped for 10 weeks. She worked tirelessly to help out, and we were afraid for her, but she said, “This is what I trained for, and there are just not a lot of people with my skills that can help out.”

The nominator goes on to say that Ms. Guzman is her hero because she answered the call to help, knowing her life would be in danger. She gives herself so selflessly, and she is an amazing nurse.

Our next healthcare hero is pulmonologist and critical care physician Dr. Drew Jones from Pulmonary Associates of Richmond. According to one of Dr. Jones’ colleagues, 

He dived right into the crisis at our local hospital, Memorial Regional Medical Center, developing protocols and standards for the treatment of COVID-19. He also identified a local network of experts to develop and institute those protocols, reached out to the drug companies to make sure we had access to the experimental agents, and saved the lives of a number of individuals.

Lastly, we have Ms. Laura Lahiff, a medical assistant who has garnered the gratitude of her peers atNorwalk Hospital in Connecticut, one of whom said:

Laura works tirelessly as a medical assistant during the stress of COVID-19. She comes to work early and stays late. She has filled in for other offices and workers when needed. She volunteered to be part of the hospital’s COVID-19 swabbing and did hundreds of swabs. She does all of this with a smile; she is my hero.

We can see from this small collection of nominations that heroism takes many forms in a pandemic. So from all of us here at the ReachMD studios, thank you to these and many more heroes listening in for doing everything you’re doing. It’s making all the difference.

For ReachMD, I’m Dr. Matt Birnholz. To access more episodes from COVID-19: On the Frontlines, adding your perspectives or recognizing those who’ve made a positive difference in your community, visit us at ReachMD.com and become Part of the Knowledge. Thank you for listening.