Over the past month, many residents in local communities and beyond have shown the quality of their character by going out of their way to help people they’ve never met through the COVID-19 crisis. …
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Over the past month, many residents in local communities and beyond have shown the quality of their character by going out of their way to help people they’ve never met through the COVID-19 crisis. One former Warren County local is reaching out further than most, moving to New York State for eight weeks to treat COVID-19 patients at a hospital on Long Island.
Respiratory therapist Heather Medsker-Blas, a 2002 graduate of Warrenton High School, began an eight-week assignment in April at Stony Brook Southampton Hospital in Southampton, a suburb east of New York City.
New York has been the epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic in the U.S., with more than 164,000 cases and hundreds of people dying each day from the disease. Medsker-Blas, whose home is in Belleville, Ill., and who has served in multiple roles at Mercy St. Louis, told The Record she volunteered for the job in New York.
“I felt called to serve here,” Medsker-Blas said. “I enjoy helping people. It’s very cool to literally save someone’s life.”
As a respiratory therapist, Medsker-Blas helps manage severely ill COVID-19 patients who require the use of ventilators or other oxygen systems. Since the onset of the disease, the need for her work has increased dramatically. Having previously worked in health care two days a week, Medsker-Blas is currently working four 12-hour shifts each week in Southampton.
It has been difficult to be away from her family in Belleville, but Medsker-Blas said there have been many positive experiences with the people in New York. She described one encounter with a local woman who complimented her face mask at a grocery store.
“I explained someone had made it before coming to New York, and she was so grateful for what we did (I have two friends with me), she bought all of our groceries that day.”
The entire town has been welcoming to the medical professionals who have come to assist with the crisis, Medsker-Blas said. They’ve gone so far as to put on multiple community parades to show their gratitude and support for health care workers.
Medsker-Blas said the amount of precautions she and her coworkers have to take to prevent spreading the disease to others can sometimes be a challenge.
“(We have to) wear two masks, a face shield and sometimes unbreathable gowns,” Medsker-Blas commented. “Wearing an N95 respirator with a surgical mask over it makes it harder to breathe and dehydrates us. ... Our ears get sore and faces are left with marks for hours.”
She added that even before leaving for her stint in New York, COVID-19 required extra precautions at home.
“I have to immediately shower upon entering my home — I can’t hug my family or love on my dogs until I have properly disposed of the COVID clothing and showered.”
Some health care workers are choosing to live apart from their families to avoid the risk of infecting them, she said.
“I miss my family dearly! It is extremely hard to be away from them, but I know serving in New York is exactly where I’m supposed to be. I’m super grateful for FaceTime and the pictures and videos my husband has been sending,” she commented.
