The staff in the emergency department have faced many struggles over the past few years from being on the frontlines of the COVID pandemic to the mental health crisis, which also greatly impacts our community to being the front door to emergency care for our community. 

While working as a night shift nursing supervisor, I witnessed firsthand the immense and considerable efforts of the emergency department staff during the early weeks and long-lasting months of the first wave of COVID-19 and trying to manage the sickest patients some of us had ever seen. Part of the Emergency Department was made into an overflow ICU for the influx of critical patients. I never once saw the emergency department staff not lend a hand in any patient care, regardless of their diagnosis or admission orders. Everyone worked as a team regardless of what department was displayed on their badges. There was one night when a COVID patient being held in the emergency department started declining rapidly. I had to call the patient’s family to come to the hospital at 2 a.m. while the ER staff and ICU staff worked tirelessly and heroically as a team. Because of the incredible teamwork, the family was able to say their final goodbyes. I was extremely proud of each and every one that night and was honored to be part of such a wonderful team. 

The emergency department staff today remains the front door and front lines to emergency care for our community. There is no doubt that the pandemic was a considerable challenge for every department in our hospital, but being the staff who had the first initial contact with “potential COVID patients” had to be difficult. The emergency team rose to many challenges through the pandemic, including many changes to processes and procedures. The ED staff was resilient and adapted to these unprecedented times. They worked many extra shifts through our staffing crisis, swabbed and triaged patients in their cars, worked the infusion clinic, and cared for many inpatient holds when our hospital was at capacity. The compassionate care this team has provided to our patients is remarkably impressive, and this team is very much worthy of this prestigious award.