Nurses find quiet space to uplift one another as pandemic rages on

Reporter: Amy Oshier Writer: Drew Hill
Published: Updated:
whiteboard confessional
whiteboard confessional Credit: WINK News

This chapter of the pandemic weighs heavily on health care workers. As they continue working to treat the sick, they’re also trying to take care of their own mental health.

Some days are worse than others, but working in a hospital during the pandemic can be overwhelming. Jennifer Beer is the unit secretary. “It’s been a tough two years for everyone,” Beer said.

Tonya Raldiris is the nursing supervisor. “In OB, usually it’s a very happy place to work. And in the last two years, we’ve seen challenges we’ve never experienced before,” said Raldiris.

Karen Paras is a certified nursing assistant (CNA) with Lee Health. “When COVID first hit, it was new to us. A lot of staff was distraught. We were not sure day to day what to do,” Paras said.

With all of that pressure, the nurses on the 4th floor of Healthpark Medical Center in Lee County decided to give themselves a break. “Sometimes, you just need to get away from the floor for just a few seconds,” Raldiris said.

“You can just go in and shut the door. And just you’re there with your thoughts,” said Beer.

They carved out their own sanctuary in some of the most private spaces. It’s a simple whiteboard that makes a statement. In two of the staff bathrooms, the nurses can stop for a moment, catch their breathe and share their thoughts.

“Sometimes you go in, and it will lift your spirits and make you laugh. Sometimes you go in, and there’ll be something serious and heartfelt on the board,” said Raldiris.

“Someone said they were down. They’re not feeling themselves. So we each put something next to it…” Beer said.

“The rest of the staff start writing encouraging words to uplift that person,” said Paras.

Even in the OB ward where babies are born, COVID-19 reared its ugly head. “We had a spike in our pregnant patients. And we started to see an OB for the first time, very critical patients. And there were times that we were afraid we might even lose one of our patients,” said Raldiris.

While the whiteboard might be a small bandaid, the nurses realized their encouraging thoughts could soothe a heart in need. “Well, I just wrote earlier on the board that it felt good for the sun to hit my face,” said Beer.

As they put on their game face and greet what each day has in store, there is one thing these nurses can count on – they won’t go through this alone.

“We come in here, you know, every day to take care of our patients. But we also, you know, take care of each other. Through good times and bad times,” Beer said.

“We’ve lost family members on our team, we’ve had co-workers that have been sick and hospitalized, and just that just that pulling together as a team and being there for each other has been amazing,” Raldiris said.

“It is so rewarding to know that something so small can be such a big impact,” Paras said.

This is proof that a few kind words can speak volumes.

The nurses hope to spread that love by putting whiteboards in more of the staff bathrooms throughout the hospital.

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