COVID-19 is on the rise, so let’s protect our healthcare workers

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Craig and surrounding Moffat County communities have seen a recent increase in COVID-19 cases in our community. The rate at which Memorial Regional Health staff are diagnosing and treating COVID-19 patients in our Rapid Care and emergency department is skyrocketing, and we are almost at capacity.

Healthcare workers are being stretched thin, trying to protect not only our patients, but also ourselves and our own families. Hear from two of our providers — Dr. Matthew Grzegozewski and Carol Bolt, PA-C — about how the coronavirus is taking a toll on our community and our healthcare system.

And of course, please do your part in helping slow the spread of the virus in our community. Wash your hands, wear a mask and social distance. It’ll not only help protect MRH staff so they can care for our patients, but it could help to save someone you love.

Dr. Matthew Grzegozewski explains how the community has been recently affected by COVID-19 and why you should care

WATCH: Dr. Grzegozewski discusses how COVID-19 is now affecting Craig and surrounding Moffat County communities, and what you can do to help. 

Dr. Matthew Grzegozewski, medical director of the emergency department at Memorial Regional Health, knows people are fatigued and tired of hearing about the COVID-19 pandemic, but now is not the time to be complacent. MRH is currently witnessing a record number of cases and healthcare staff are falling ill from the virus. Our COVID-19 unit is consistently at capacity.

COVID-19 should not be compared to the flu, Dr. Grzegozewski warns. In one of the most recent flu seasons, there were 577 deaths in Colorado, which is the total number of deaths in a one-year span. For another perspective, in 2018, 677 individuals died in car accidents. In just nine months, COVID-19 has claimed the lives of 2,150 Coloradans — nearly quadrupled the deaths and counting.

“This is a very real illness,” Dr. Grzegozewski said. “It’s not easy being a healthcare provider in this circumstance — wearing a mask for 12 hours a day and worrying about exposing ourselves and exposing our families to the virus. We not only work here in the hospital, but we live in the community. When we walk through Walmart and City Market and see so many people without masks on and disregarding the rules and requests of healthcare providers … it’s very much a slap in the face, to be blunt.”

Healthcare experts are pleading for community members to take the virus seriously and to wear a mask while out in public. Wearing a mask can feel uncomfortable and inconvenient, but wearing one could make a positive impact on our community.

“If not for yourself, do it for the other members of your community — the elderly, the people who are a little weaker than your [personal] health,” Dr. Grzegozewski said. “They’re so susceptible to this. It’s a small effort that will have an enormous impact.”

If cases continue to spike, Dr. Grzegozewski warns lockdowns might have to happen again. By taking the necessary precautions, you can help prevent the community from going through the drastic measures we went through in the spring. Limit social gatherings — especially large ones — this holiday season.

“No one wants our entire community to be shut down,” Dr. Grzegozewski concluded. “We don’t want to close restaurants. We don’t want to close schools. But I guarantee you if we continue down this path, that’s where it will head … Please wear a mask, please keep your distance, and please help us keep our community safe.”

Carol Bolt, PA-C, shares her personal experience with the coronavirus

WATCH: Certified Physician Assistant Carol Bolt describes her personal battle with COVID-19 and how it still affects her life.

Carol Bolt, certified physician assistant for family medicine at Memorial Regional Health, never thought she would get sick with COVID-19. Diagnosed late October, she went through all of the typical symptoms — such as fatigue, shortness of breath, chills and aches — and is still struggling from the virus today.

When she first fell ill, it was difficult for Bolt to even take her dogs for a walk or walk up a flight of stairs. Her illness progressively got worse as the day went on. She hoped it was just the flu, but instead, a positive COVID-19 test came back.

“I’ve been taking all the precautions as far as wearing masks out in public, limiting my exposure to people, wearing my N-95 and full PPE when at work with patients, and I really just didn’t think it would happen to me,” she explained. “I had been exposed to people while I was symptomatic and because I had been wearing my mask, none of those individuals ended up developing symptoms or testing positive.”

Living with COVID-19 has been frightening at times for Bolt. As a provider working with COVID-19 patients, she knows symptoms can evolve from minor flu-like symptoms to major respiratory issues within just a couple of days. It took about a week for Bolt to regain her energy, and she experiences exhaustion and other symptoms from the virus to this day.

“I just kept worrying that something was going to go bad or really south, and I was worried about what would happen to my daughter if I had to be in the hospital,” she said. “This isn’t the flu. I’ve had the flu before, I’ve had H1N1 when it came around, and this is nothing like those. It’s really scary when I’ve seen patients who have not done well and who’ve had respiratory complications and have been hospitalized. I had one patient who developed chronic lung disease that’s irreversible. It’s scary.”

Bolt misses having energy — something that has been absent since she fell ill. She misses the feeling of walking her dogs and being able to interact with her daughter without needing a break or a nap. She, along with the entire MRH team, urges community members to do their part in helping slow the spread.