“It was impressive,” Jessica Gravelle, Nursing Supervisor at Child & Family Services, gleamed when asked about her team’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. “I’d like to think that people thought that coming to work was as safe as it could be.”
Child & Family Services was awarded funding during the pandemic to safely equip their nursing staff to work with COVID positive youth. Personal protective equipment, gowns, gloves, and goggles were purchased, as well.
“The COVID environment was definitely challenging, but we kept moving forward,” Jessica said as she looked back into the past year. “Our nursing staff in the residential program has been able to develop increased treatments for each child so they can be more involved with children and their families.”
Nursing staff led the wellness initiative for the children in the program and were able to be the first line of defense in quickly determining the needs of each child and their family upon any illnesses that arose during the pandemic.
Dedicated to ensuring that her team was safe during the pandemic, Jessica led safety and sanitation training for the nurses who worked directly with COVID-positive children. “I am proud that we did not have any staff leave the agency due to COVID-related concerns,” Jessica said. “Our team really developed a camaraderie.”
Providing safety equipment to stop the spread of the virus is a crucial aspect of maintaining stability for our nursing staff and families with whom they work. Child & Family Services thanks all our nurses for their continued efforts to provide dependable and safe care for the children and families who partner with us.