Page 3 - Work Force January 2021

County health departments filling the void
ALBANY — Nearly one year into the COVID-19 pandemic, an increasing amount of information has been revealed not only about the virus, but the widening gap of health care and economic inequality.
We see VIP patients access the best hospitals, doctors and experimental treatments while, simultaneously,
we view horrific
images of
overcrowded
ICUs, patients
alone in hospital
hallways and
refrigerator
trucks doubling
as morgues.
We see pre-COVID
income
inequality
widening from
the financial
fallout the
pandemic has
wrought; closed businesses, job
loss and the shameful failure of the federal government to provide relief.
For many people, these conditions mean a turn to public, safety net programs such as those run by CSEA members, who continue to provide essential services.
County Health Department workers are overwhelmed with contract tracing while public health programs are meeting the needs of the uninsured and underinsured who have nowhere else to turn.
Celia Evers, a nurse at the Albany County Department of Health, described the challenges
surrounding the pandemic and how workers maintain a steadfast commitment to residents.
“We nurses
are the front line for the County
of Albany. Work, pre-COVID, was all clinic work. [We were] seeing patients for immunizations, personal issues and tuberculosis,”
Evers said.
“The virus has increased anxiety
for everyone, irrespective of what field you work in.”
Even in difficult circumstances, Evers said county health employees are still working to provide quality care to all county residents who use
In this file photo taken before the COVID-19 pandemic, Public Health Nurse Celia Evers gives a vaccine to a patient.
“All CSEA members are really stepping up in serving the public. It’s wonderful to see how everyone is going above and beyond to help or residents in these trying times. We’ve been working hard to rise above the illness and we will continue to do so.”
their services.
“What we once knew as basic
daily protocols and procedures
are out the window,” Evers said. However, we try to do our best to provide immediate services to the best of our abilities. If we are unable to provide services a patient may need, we strive to coordinate care
with other facilities so patients’ needs are met.”
As COVID-19 infection rates once again surge, safety-net health facilities are seeing an influx of patients who have lower incomes and unable to access care.
“Low-income families are particularly hard hit by COVID,” Evers said. “The patients we see are experiencing financial and medical hardships that have increased disproportionately to the rest of the Capital Region.”
Evers added that the nurses at the Albany County Health Department are playing a pivotal role in trying
to counteract the disruption in lives caused by this pandemic.
“We continue to serve our community the best way we know we can,” Evers said. “All CSEA members are really stepping up in serving the public. It’s wonderful to see how everyone is going above and beyond to help or residents in these trying times. We’ve been working hard to rise above the illness and we will continue to do so.”
— Therese Assalian
Rural communities, hospitals well prepared
As with much of the state,
the Lewis County Hospital
and nursing home have been no exceptions to the rising number of COVID-19 cases in recent months.
The county has been transparent and diligent in protecting its workers, according to Nancy Mooney, a certified nursing aide at the nursing home.
“They put (the numbers) out there for the community to see (the cases) in the hospital and nursing home. They’re not afraid of it, which is good because we’re a small community,” Mooney said.
Mooney, who has worked for the county for more than 25 years,
gives a lot of credit to the hospital for how they have handled the pandemic. She credits a lot of its success to being county-owned.
“All of the county organizations are right there working together,” Mooney said. “I think it’s been
a big difference being a county hospital that we all work together.”
Although rural communities like the North Country haven’t seen large daily numbers, their level of concern is no different.
“The biggest stress is (the fear of) bringing it home to my family,” Mooney said. “(I fear) somehow catching it at work and bringing
it home before knowing I even
had it.”
Mooney says she has seen the
news that some hospitals across the state are reaching maximum capacity and having to stop elective surgeries. Fortunately, the Lewis County Hospital hasn’t reached that point, but they’re prepared.
“When it first started back in March, they set up a special unit where our adult daycare used
to be,” Mooney said. “They have a unit in there, in case they get overwhelmed in the hospital, where they can put people.”
— Nicholas Newcomb
January 2021
The Work Force 3