Keeping a semblance of normalcy when life is anything but routine is a challenge. But that is how Lauren Moore approaches every day she goes to work at the Child Study and Treatment Center.
A nurse at the psychiatric facility’s Ketron Cottage, Moore works with children between the ages of 11 and 15. The children have a variety of challenges, and their everyday problems can be exacerbated by uncertainty and trepidation brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“It’s hard for them to understand and it harbors a lot of anxiety and fear, and these kids don’t need that, so we try to shelter them but also give them information when we have it,” Moore said.
With social distancing and other safety measures in place, the CSTC staff has had to come up with creative ways to keep the children occupied. Moore has led structured activities, helped with homework, held scavenger hunts and run YouTube yoga and hip-hop classes — all while staying two hula hoops apart.
“The kids are a little restless lately because they can’t have visitors and there are no outings, but they’re doing what they can,” she said. “They can’t see their families, so lots of conversations about feeling lonely and learning how to write letters to family.”
Despite the difficulty and added stress, Moore and her team of nurses have continued to find joy in the job and brighten the day of each child at the facility.
“The way we stay optimistic is we stay with our regular schedule,” she said. “We are positive and we laugh and we joke and we have fun with the kids. Maintaining that normalcy kind of helps them with the light at the end of the tunnel.”
Erik Logan, CSTC’s director of nursing services, said Moore played a pivotal role in keeping the center disease free from the onset of the COVID-19 outbreak. Moore set up an aggressive cleaning schedule, worked with lab staff to draw blood from patients, has worked overtime when fellow nurses have been out sick, keeps morale high and even recruited her mother — a professional seamstress — to make masks for the staff.
“This is really just the tip of the iceberg,” Logan said. “Lauren’s drive and determination to provide exemplary care to our patient population is unsurpassed.”
Moore may bring something extra to CSTC, but she knows that couldn’t be done without a great team of nurses.
“I’ve got a great team, and the team together is really positive,” Moore said. “They come to work every day and they are positive and they aren’t exhausted — and if they were nobody would ever know. Patient care comes first and everybody here takes that to heart.”
(Story by Rob Johnson)