SPOKANE, Wash. – “The priorities have changed, our focus has changed, and it’s more about survival,” a COVID-19 special unit nurse at Sacred Heart, Stevie Lynne Krone, said.
We are introducing you to one of the faces behind the mask working on coronavirus patients, who is raising concerns over things like staffing, protection and preparedness.
Stevie Lynne Krone comes face-to-face with the coronavirus everyday, and calls Sacred Heart a battlefield right now. Working on a coronavirus special unit isn’t something that she signed up for, but now, it’s her only focus.
Everyday she gears up, not just in her scrubs, but in gloves, face mask, shield, and helmet. Then she can treat patients, Stevie says the days can feel longer and more exhausting now, but says the coronavirus has given nurses at Sacred Heart a chance to challenge their skills.
When the coronavirus first came to Sacred Heart, Stevie said it felt small, and thought it would blow over soon, but then started seeing the amount of patients coming in everyday.
“There is a lot of weight on everyone’s shoulders, because you have a responsibility not only to your patient, but you have a responsibility to yourself to stay protected, so you can protect your family and friends,” Krone said.
Stevie hopes the coronavirus changes the way people look at healthcare providers. She wants this to fix the way staffing has been addressed, and that the focus of hospitals be put back on patient care, and not the structure she’s seen in the past. Stevie says now that hospitals know what they could face, we need to be more prepared next time, and learn from this.
