Thank you for the opportunity to recognize the amazing work of the Minneapolis and St. Paul emergency departments through the DAISY Team Award. The last two years have certainly been challenging and difficult in healthcare, especially in the emergency departments. Starting with the arrival of the Coronavirus, which in and of itself was scary since we really didn’t know much about it at first. As we learned more, it seemed like we were forced to change long time processes and procedures almost every week . . . and sometimes more often than that. While almost any Emergency Department nurse or team member will tell you that flexibility and adaptability are hallmark qualities of ED staff, the remarkable patience, understanding, and resiliency displayed by our nurses and team members were not only unprecedented but truly above and beyond.

One specific part of our COVID response that deserves special attention is the monoclonal antibody infusions. In late 2020, it was becoming clear that these antibody infusions were going to play a significant role in preventing serious and significant diseases in very high-risk adolescents and adults. The challenge was that the Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) rules made it very challenging for Children’s to administer in the Sedation and Procedural Services (SPS) units where infusion treatments might normally occur. Although our ED volumes were high and these types of infusions are not the type of work we usually do, our ED teams stepped up and met the challenge. Interprofessional teams were pulled together to develop order sets, develop new and revised guidelines, practice alerts, and more. Additionally, the team was willing to treat a new patient population of young adults (early 20s) and constantly adapt as the monoclonal antibodies formulations themselves changed, the administration rules changed, the eligible populations changed . . . and just about everything else was in flux. Although there were some bumps and potholes along the way, I could not be prouder that 262 very high-risk kids and young adults were provided this important treatment without which might have led to serious illness and potential mortality.

I also want to recognize the impact of the mental health crisis on our ED teams. While this crisis precedes the arrival of the pandemic, COVID only made matters worse. For this reason, it’s simply great that Children’s has strengthened our commitment to our kids via the Partial Hospitalization Program (PHP) and the development of an inpatient mental health unit. The reality of this crisis is that the majority of these kids come to the ED in ever-increasing numbers with increasingly complex problems and co-morbidities . . . not to mention underlying cognitive and developmental delays. They also arrive at the doors of our Emergency Department in volumes never seen before. Meeting the needs of these kids is challenging, it takes considerable skill, patience, understanding, and empathy. Our nurses, CSAs, EMTs and so many others have joined together and answered the call. The grace and compassion this team has provided to the patients and families we serve is so remarkably impressive and very much appreciated.