Six weeks into Covid-only care, Carney healers see ‘ray of hope’

Medical workers at Carney Hospital gathered to watch a parade of vehicles that drove by the hospital to salute them last Thursday. The effort, organized by City Councillor Frank Baker’s office, drew about 75 vehicles and also raised funds to pay for food deliveries to hospital workers through a fund at Pat’s Pizza of Lower Mills. Katie Trojano photo

Carney Hospital President Tom Sands

Sounds of music hail recoveries; numbers speak to stark reality

It happens several times each day: The sound system inside Carney Hospital crackles to life with a classic RnB song. First comes the hum of Stevie Wonder’s harmonica. Then, the tender vocals of Dionne Warwick: “And I, never thought I’d feel this way…”

The song is “That’s What Friends Are For” and when it fills the corridors, it means one of two things has just happened: Either a patient has just been extubated and can breathe again without a ventilator or someone who was suffering from COVID-19 has just been discharged from the hospital.

“I love to hear that music,” says Tom Sands, the president of Carney.

The Dionne and Stevie collaboration with Elton John has played in steady rotation since mid-March when Carney became the first hospital in the country designated as a COVID-19 dedicated-care facility. Since then, the hospital has tested hundreds of people and treated scores of positive patients.

On Monday, there were 70 patients hospitalized with COVID-19 at Carney, according to data released by the state’s Department of Public Health. And the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) was filled to capacity, according to Sands.

Yet the hospital’s remaining medical units, which have been converted over the last few weeks to focus on specialized care for COVID-positive patients, have actually seen a slight decrease in patient volume in recent days.

“The peak that was supposed to be here is here, but it was [forecasted] to be even higher,” Sands told the Reporter. “We have a little more capacity on the COVID floors and that tells me that we are moving through the storm effectively. It gives me a ray of hope that we’re moving in a positive direction.”

The news is not all rosy. About ten people have died at Carney while hospitalized with COVID-19-related illnesses, Sands said. Three times as many, he added have improved enough to go home.

All of this has happened while Carney staff and contractors have been scrambling to add more capacity, converting surgical suites and patient rooms into “negative pressure” units that can protect other parts of the facility from the contagion.

“When people ask me what these last six weeks have been like here, I tell them: Imagine trying to add seats in an airplane while it’s in the air – during a hurricane,” said Sands. “I’m so proud of what this team has been able to accomplish.”

That team has grown to include Steward-affiliated specialists who’ve flown to Boston from across the country to help Massachusetts confront the COVID-19 surge. Respiratory therapists have been in particular demand, Sands said.

“Prior to the pandemic outbreak, during a day shift we would have three respiratory therapists on. That would go down to two on the second shift, and one for the third [overnight] shift. Right now, we have six therapists on for all three shifts. That’s just one example.”

Carney has been tweaking its deployment in other ways. The bright red tent that was set up just outside the emergency department last month to triage patients and test for coronavirus has been dismantled. The testing is now done in a space inside, adjacent to the emergency department.

“We brought it inside the building because we had that space available and it offered better control and a better experience for patients and staff members,” said Sands.

Testing is now available to anyone who has an order from their physician to get it done. It is typically done by appointment, Monday-Friday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. But, Sands said, the hospital is also testing people who “present to the emergency department (ED) and are symptomatic.”

There has been an overall decrease in the number of people coming to the ED, Sands said. Conservatively, he estimates that the emergency patient load is down about 15 percent since March 17. Most people are choosing to avoid emergency rooms unless it can’t be avoided.

Another specialty at Carney is adolescent and adult psychiatric care. Sands said that the hospital “continues to provide care to that population, including a couple of patients in that space who have tested positive for COVID.”

The hospital is also using technology to alleviate the stress that sets in for so many patients who are isolated while hospitalized from their loved ones. “We’ve been using FaceTime and Skype so people can be in a position to be in some level of contact,” he said. “It can take a toll on the patient and the staff members to have to see this distancing.”

Having Carney designated as a “dedicated” COVID-19 facility for the Steward system has been a positive experience for the hospital and the community, Sands said.

“The way I look at it, every hospital is going to become a COVID-19 facility along the way, but by us being the first designated one for Steward, it meant we were first in line for a lot of things,” he said. “We had to get the facility ready and our people ready, to educate them with appropriate training, and to get them refitted for N95 masks.

He added: “It helped us to get ready faster with more resources and so, it was a positive for us. Overall, Carney and the community benefited from being the first. Once we get past the storm, the question will be: then what? We need to be supporting the community the right way and that means to be a comprehensive community hospital.”

Sands said that the signs of support from the Dorchester community— including constant deliveries of food and supply donations and even a rolling rally in support of workers held last week— has been a big boost for morale.

“It’s been overwhelmingly positive and powerful. The nail shops donating supplies, the pizzerias sending in food, the schoolkids sending in messages. It uplifts the team,” he said. “That support has been the elixir that helps us all navigate through these challenging times.”

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