SUMMER 2020
A Baylor Scott & White
Health nurse talks about
being on the front lines of
the COVID-19 pandemic.
Nursing in
the Pandemic
Registered nurse
Candace Gersch
dons PPE before
caring for a patient.
he’s dedicated her entire nursing
career to critical care, working
daily with the sickest of the sick,
those in most desperate need of medical
care. “While it’s not always the happiest
place to be, it’s a privilege to get to help
these patients,” Claire Motley, BSN, RN,
CCRN, explained. Claire went into nursing
specifically to work at Baylor University
Medical Center at Dallas, and was drawn
to critical care because of her passion for
getting the details right.
The role that already demands
everything of her recently got even more
challenging. When COVID-19 came to
Texas, Claire and her fellow nurses were
Claire Motley and
husband Josch
there on the front lines, daily facing down
a pandemic that has most of the country
gripped with fear.
Claire leaves her home at 6:15 a.m.,
carrying with her everything she might
need for a long day in the ICU, including
meals and a change of clothes. It’s hard to
know exactly what each day will bring. But
one thing is for sure: Claire feels blessed to
work alongside such a tight-knit group of
nurses on her unit.
Their close camaraderie has been
leveraged in a whole new way in recent
weeks. Nurses depend on each other for
everything from help with getting into
their personal protective equipment (PPE)
to scheduling visits to each patient room,
providing the best care they can for their
patients while also conserving PPE
and limiting exposure to the virus.
“It’s a pretty extensive
process to get into the PPE,” Claire
explained. “It usually takes three
people. So I have someone reading
a checklist off and someone who’s
helping me get dressed, and we
Continued on pg 6
Inside this issue
Departments
2 From the President
5 From the Chair
Focus On: Research
Dr. John
Garrett
7
8 Coronavirus Research
News, Projects & Campaigns
3 COVID-19 Community
Response Update
4 Baylor Scott & White
Dallas Foundation
Virtual Board Meeting