Staff at Orange County's Providence Mission Hospital reflects on 2 years of treating COVID patients
MISSION VIEJO, Calif. (KABC) -- Two years after treating their first COVID-19 patient, staff at Providence Mission Hospital reflected on their journey at a ceremony Wednesday.
More than 2,000 patients later, dozens of staff felt grateful for recognition of their sacrifice.
"It made me think about all of the happy endings we had, all the patients who got to go home, had good outcomes and it did make me pause to remember the ones we lost," clinical coordinator Nicole Ossichak said.
The ceremony, included a dove release, signs with words describing their experience and time to pray and heal.
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"They had an opportunity to not work on our unit and every single one of them said, 'No, I'm gonna come and work on COVID,'" nurse leader Stefanie Ferguson said. "They didn't shy away from that challenge and every surge we have, they come back again and again with their heart and compassion."
Many there said they felt relieved and took pride in their team and unity.
"It was never a panic," critical care clinical nurse specialist Mary Kay Bader said. "It was organized, well thought, rooted in the evidence, but also rooted in our values."
It was a celebration for the challenges met, with all hopeful the worst of it is over.
"There was a great need in this community for two years, and it's ongoing. COVID hasn't gone away. It's still around," Providence Mission Hospital chief executive Seth Teigen said.
At one point, staff were treating 130 COVID-19 patients at the hospital. According to the hospital's director of communications, over the last few weeks, that total has fluctuated between two and four patients.
