“What keeps me going is the fact that you see them appreciate what you do, patient wise and staff wise, It keeps me motivated to do what I do, and this is what I signed up for — to help people.” - Maria (Luisa) Elauria
The COVID-19 pandemic has prompted a wave of support and appreciation for health care workers who are potentially in danger every time they treat a patient.
But fear of the disease has not been enough to scare away people like Maria (Luisa) Elauria, a medical nurse consultant at Western State Hospital. She is among the nurses and staff at the facility who have worked tirelessly to keep their patients and colleagues safe. The effort has been frightening and exhausting, but it's a worthwhile cause that fills Elauria with pride.
“What keeps me going is the fact that you see them appreciate what you do, patient wise and staff wise,” she said. “It’s so uplifting to see people thanking you for your work. It keeps me motivated to do what I do, and this is what I signed up for — to help people.”
Elauria is one of four MNCs at the facility — the only staff members who are qualified to do medical procedures for the hospital’s psychiatric patients.
“We put ourselves in danger, and everywhere we go PPEs are in shortage, so sometimes we have to use our own,” she said. “We make the best of it.”
The best includes staying positive and taking extra precautions after one of the WSH patients tested positive for COVID-19 despite showing no symptoms other than a fever. All four MNCs tested negative for the disease and have continued to work closely with patients because the nurses are among the only people patients can see while the quarantine is in effect.
Even simply holding their hands when they’re scared or just smiling at them helps their patients.
“They can’t see their families and they’re scared,” said Elauria, who has worked at WSH since 2014. “We make it a point to smile at them and assure them that everything is going to be OK. You feel that they trust you.”
Her dedication to helping people hasn’t changed, but Elauria said the pandemic has prompted one major change in her life.
“When I go home I don’t interact with my kids right away. I wait until I’ve changed my clothes and cleaned up,” she said. “I have to be careful because I can be a carrier. Who knows? We’ve been swabbing people with COVID.”
Not everything is scary, though.
“The only thing that’s good right now is there’s no traffic,” Elauria said with a laugh.
(Story by Rob Johnson)