Team SNOVID
May 2021
Team
Ed
ED
Memorial Hermann Northeast Hospital
Humble
,
TX
United States
Tim Faulkenberry BSN, RN
Ashley McAdoo BSN, RN
Jennifer Perio BSN, RN
Jennifer Braren BSN, RN
Leia Engle MSN, RN
Christan Torres
Tiffany Whitmire
Rhonda Dishongh
Justin Kendrick
Ashley McAdoo BSN, RN
Jennifer Perio BSN, RN
Jennifer Braren BSN, RN
Leia Engle MSN, RN
Christan Torres
Tiffany Whitmire
Rhonda Dishongh
Justin Kendrick
In many cases the ED team did the whole patient workup from the lobby area up to and including admission.
Over the last year, our community, city, and country has experienced an unprecedented need for emergency care with the COVID-19 pandemic. The emergency department has been there with the community and EMS teams on the front lines of this pandemic. The ED navigated through a patient population with sicker people and an incredible amount of inpatient holds. They did this by coming together to support each other as a team.
This year also saw an added challenge of unusual cold and snow during which time Northeast ended up being the only hospital open on our corridor. On Wednesday, all the volume came to a head and the ED was overwhelmed with patients. The ED saw 164 patients that day, with 42 of being admitted and holding in our 36 bed ED. There were 85 EMS patients seen and treated on the day before! The lobby was full of not only patients needing to be seen, but of patients who had been seen and were admitted but needed a space to wait for a bed and with patients seen and discharged but they couldn't get home due to weather and road conditions. The ED team was seeing and treating most patients out in the lobby of the ED.
Tim Faulkenberry, Jenny Perio and Ashely McAdoo were the nurses tasked with caring for everyone out in the lobby. Tiffany Whitmier and Christan Torres were PCTs working out in the lobby alongside of the nurses. It was difficult for the team to know who was in what status that night. There were people everywhere. As a team they were working through the chaos to get everyone seen.
In many cases the ED team did the whole patient workup from the lobby area up to and including admission. They did this because there was no room in the back for another patient. They often had to also make room for and treat EMS patients in the front as well. Rhonda Dishongh was walking through at about 1am and saw what was happening. She was appropriately concerned, and she called Leia Engle and Jennifer Braren. They came together with the ED team to organize the chaos. The team got a list of all the patients, then identified everyone in the lobby as either a "needs to be seen" patient, "already seen" patient or "discharge" patient. They then took the discharged patients to a discharge lobby to de-congest the ED lobby.
The ED showed resilience this night for continuing to provide the best possible care for all our patients given the situation. Keeping our ED open was the right thing to do for our community on this night and they gave all they had to our community that night. This ED team continues to amaze me on what they can do together.
There are so many superstars this night including Justin Kendrick, our CEO who got out of bed at 1 am to come down and speak to every ED nurse to re-assure them. However, for this Team award, I would like to recognize the "triage team" with a big assist from Leia Engle and Jennifer Braren. I would also like to recognize Rhonda Dishongh. Now that's teamwork!
This year also saw an added challenge of unusual cold and snow during which time Northeast ended up being the only hospital open on our corridor. On Wednesday, all the volume came to a head and the ED was overwhelmed with patients. The ED saw 164 patients that day, with 42 of being admitted and holding in our 36 bed ED. There were 85 EMS patients seen and treated on the day before! The lobby was full of not only patients needing to be seen, but of patients who had been seen and were admitted but needed a space to wait for a bed and with patients seen and discharged but they couldn't get home due to weather and road conditions. The ED team was seeing and treating most patients out in the lobby of the ED.
Tim Faulkenberry, Jenny Perio and Ashely McAdoo were the nurses tasked with caring for everyone out in the lobby. Tiffany Whitmier and Christan Torres were PCTs working out in the lobby alongside of the nurses. It was difficult for the team to know who was in what status that night. There were people everywhere. As a team they were working through the chaos to get everyone seen.
In many cases the ED team did the whole patient workup from the lobby area up to and including admission. They did this because there was no room in the back for another patient. They often had to also make room for and treat EMS patients in the front as well. Rhonda Dishongh was walking through at about 1am and saw what was happening. She was appropriately concerned, and she called Leia Engle and Jennifer Braren. They came together with the ED team to organize the chaos. The team got a list of all the patients, then identified everyone in the lobby as either a "needs to be seen" patient, "already seen" patient or "discharge" patient. They then took the discharged patients to a discharge lobby to de-congest the ED lobby.
The ED showed resilience this night for continuing to provide the best possible care for all our patients given the situation. Keeping our ED open was the right thing to do for our community on this night and they gave all they had to our community that night. This ED team continues to amaze me on what they can do together.
There are so many superstars this night including Justin Kendrick, our CEO who got out of bed at 1 am to come down and speak to every ED nurse to re-assure them. However, for this Team award, I would like to recognize the "triage team" with a big assist from Leia Engle and Jennifer Braren. I would also like to recognize Rhonda Dishongh. Now that's teamwork!