COVID 19 has brought waves of uncertainty throughout many communities. Historic London Town would like to take this time to record the voices of some in our community who have been deeply affected. In this series, we interviewed community members to gain their insight on how they have been affected by this global event.
Attempting to understand health and healing was crucial to London Town’s history. One of our earliest residents in the surrounding area was Dr. Richard Hill (1698 – 1762). Dr. Hill was a surgeon, amateur botanist, and a merchant. You can learn more about his history here. In this light, for today’s #CommunityConnections interview, we talked with Jessica Anthony, a surgical ICU registered nurse.
What do you love about your job?
I love being able to care for the "sickest of the sick, " as we say. Every day I am learning something new about how the body works. In the process, I get to not only work with a great team of doctors and other healthcare providers, but I get to meet some extremely interesting patients and families from every walk of life.
What is the biggest challenge of your job?
The biggest challenge would have to be helping families understand the difference between quality and quantity of life. There is a lot we can do to keep someone alive but determining how far the person in question would want to go is hard when they can't speak for themselves.
What is the hardest part of the COVID-19 situation?
Our units are constantly in a state of flux with policy changes. We are preparing for a surge of admissions and are constantly adjusting to shortages and changes in bed flow. PPE conservation is also a struggle.
When this all ends what are you most looking forward to?
Being able to go out to eat and have a beer with my coworkers! And being able to see my mom. I live only 30 minutes away but haven't seen her in over a month...
What can people do to help your community?
Stay home!! Please stay home! It's uncomfortable, but the fewer people out and about means fewer admissions at the hospital, which means we will have the equipment and time to care for those who are sick. Please stop protesting the shutdown; it is there for a reason!
Looking for more information or ways to help? Anne Arundel County government has created a resource page for COVID-19 information. This includes a donation page with a list of places where you can donate funds or goods to help the community as well as a volunteer page with information about how to help with your time.