National Nurses United

O C T O B E R | N O V E M B E R | D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 8 W W W . N A T I O N A L N U R S E S U N I T E D . O R G N A T I O N A L N U R S E 7 IOWA W hen a tornado ravaged a large part of Marshalltown, Iowa, on July 19, Minnesota Nurses Association nurses jumped into action. The tornado cut a large swath through the community, destroying everything in its path. UnityPoint Health, the local hospital, sustained severe damage and was temporar- ily closed, necessitating the removal of patients to the outpatient center, which was not damaged, or to facilities in other communities. Nurses who were working when the tornado struck stayed on the job to care for patients; others voluntarily came in to assist, including transferring patients to other facilities. They kept working, making sure patients had the care they needed. They essentially kept the hospital running during the emergency and were instrumen- tal in making the hospital ready to admit patients again. They all have harrowing stories to tell: Jenna Foulk, RN and MNA chairperson, quickly responded to alerts and a text asking all available staff to return to work as soon as possible. It took her 30 minutes to travel six blocks to the hospital because of all the damage, debris, downed powerlines, and fallen trees blocking the roads. Jenna found a path through the parking lot, which was filled with demolished cars and ultimately parked next to a car that had a playground slide tossed on top of it. Jenna realized the slide came from far down the street. Inside the hospital, Foulk encountered what seemed like "controlled chaos." A supervisor directed her to the intensive care unit. Employees who were working during the tornado told her power was off, the air systems were not functioning, the roof was damaged, some windows were blown out, and there had been what felt like a vacuum in the hallways that created a wind tunnel of flying debris. Jenna jumped in to help order ambu- lances; find alternative locations for patients; pack up patient supplies, medi- cines, and belongings; and ride along to keep patients safe and comforted as they were transferred to their new hospitals. By 9 p.m., every patient had been cared for and transferred. Erin Williams, RN, was working when the tornado hit. The nurses who were on shift as the storm barreled down on the hospital had to push aside thoughts of checking on their families, friends, neigh- bors, and their property, and maintain total focus on patients and the injured people they knew would soon arrive at the hospital in the aftermath of the tornado. "It was all teamwork and coming togeth- er on behalf of our community," Williams said. All hospital employees are proud of what was accomplished, despite staff only having received a few moments' warning that the tornado was close. Kristen Boehmer, RN, ran back and forth between the ER and the ICU, working side by side with staff who were in the hospital when the tornado struck and all those who came in afterward in response to the disaster alert. "As chaotic as it seemed, I think we pulled together really well to keep our patients safe and move them out of the tornado-impacted environment as soon as possible," she said. Once the patient transfers were accom- plished, Boehmer and other staff quickly located and packed the supplies and equip- ment needed to transform the undamaged outpatient center into a temporary emer- gency department. During the next week, nurses volun- teered to work and continued to ensure patient care was delivered to anyone who needed it. Meanwhile, everyone worked on a massive cleanup and repair effort. The hospital was inspected and cleared to reopen on July 27. MNA stood in solidarity with Marshall- town members as they with management to coordinate the recovery and make sure nurses weren't financially harmed. "MNA nurses recognize and thank area nurses and other health care professionals for their dedicated, hard work during this difficult time and for the tough job they'll continue to do in the coming weeks as the community recovers," MNA President Mary C. Turner, RN said in a statement to the Iowa news media. "We all stand ready to assist with any recovery or assistance efforts that residents and colleagues need in the coming days." —Barbara Brady Iowa nurses put patients first in wake of devasting tornado

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