Guadalupe Regional Medical Center | Health Currents | Fall 2020

On the front lines of COVID-19 PERSPECTIVES FROM THREE GRMC PHYSICIANS Our hospital and community are very fortunate to have the expertise and dedication of three talented physicians at the forefront of our COVID-19 response. Dr. Sangha is an intensivist, triple board-certified in internal medicine, nephrology and critical care. He provides additional support to the hospitalist group in addition to having a part-time office practice in Seguin. The hospitalist group is composed of several providers. The two who headed up our COVID-19 response this summer were Dr. Arenas, who is double board-certified in internal medicine and healthcare quality and management, and Dr. Lester, who is also board-certified and highly skilled in high-acuity critical care. These physicians could not have devoted their full attention to the COVID-19 surge had it not been for their very capable hospitalist colleagues: Martin Levett, MD, and MaKenzi Burke, PA, who continued to focus on all other patient medical needs during this critical time period. By Bhupinder Sangha, MD; Juan Arenas, MD; and Sarah Lester, MD In our respective roles at GRMC, it is our obligation and privilege to care for patients who are admitted to the hospital with a wide range of medical diagnoses. When the coronavirus became widespread in Seguin and our surrounding communities this summer, we began to experience a surge of very sick COVID-19 patients admitted to the hospital. It became our responsibility to care for these patients and their families and to provide medical leadership to the hospital staff on managing the crisis. An intense experience Without a doubt, this experience has been the most physically, mentally and emotionally intense of our careers. While we had taken care of a few COVID-19 patients in the spring, there was an abrupt increase of very sick patients presenting to the Emergency Department beginning in June, and that volume of patients remained constant for several weeks. Having only emerged less than nine months ago, this illness is caused by a novel, or new, virus. Unlike other illnesses we treat, we are not able to rely on a history of medical research, clinical trials or extensive experience on how to best manage this particular disease. Physicians and researchers around the world are doing their best to identify the most effective treatment and medication options, but there are still many unknowns. This disease process is the most unpredictable we have ever observed—a patient can quickly take a turn for the worse without warning, and the range of symptoms are wide. Because this virus is so contagious and dangerous, hospitals are under federal mandate to prohibit visitors from entering the facility. This is one of the most heart-wrenching aspects of treating COVID-19 patients—not being able to invite families to be with their loved ones during their hospitalization and, in some cases, at their time of death. Prevention is our best defense The highly contagious nature of the disease caused us to worry about staff exposure. We limited the number of staff who entered patient rooms, and we were diligent about the proper use of personal protective equipment. We want the public to understand the severity and unpredictability of this disease. We may experience one or more surges of cases in the future, and we may be living with the weight of this pandemic for a while. The best weapon we have against this disease is prevention—taking simple steps such as washing hands, wearing masks and maintaining social distancing. We cannot be complacent. We can assure our community that we will continue to do our utmost to take care of all patients under our care, and that GRMC will continue to provide excellent and compassionate care. Taking the lead on COVID-19: About the authors Mask up—the right way. Find out about proper cloth mask use at grmedcenter .com/about/videos. From left to right: Sarah Lester, MD; Juan Arenas, MD; and Bhupinder Sangha, MD grmedcenter.com  | 3