I started this morning on my knees, praying that God would fill me with love, compassion and courage, and then I made my way to Westmoreland Hospital, where I am a physician.
The mood at the hospital is tense. As of March 22, we still have limited capacity to perform testing to tell us whether some of our patients are suffering from covid-19. We are hoping that we will have just a little more time, so that our hospital can become more prepared.
When I read the news that the Word of Life Church in Hempfield held services Sunday morning (“About 200 attend Hempfield’s Word of Life Church amid coronavirus shutdown,” March 22, TribLIVE), and that 200 people attended, I literally started to cry. If one person in that crowd has the coronavirus, the other 199 could become infected, and then Westmoreland County could become a covid-19 epicenter.
I want our community to know about the brave souls who are risking their health keeping our hospital going: We have physicians (some of whom are over age 60); we have brand new young nurses (some of whom are pregnant); we have housekeepers and patient transport staff and cafeteria workers. None of us wanted to come to work in the midst of a pandemic, but we are working anyway, supporting one another as well as we can.
I beg of you, Word of Life Church and everyone: Please STAY HOME!
Marti Haykin, M.D.
Unity