Page 6 - Scene Magazine 45-09 September 2020
P. 6

  Did You Know?
BY KATHY BANFIELD SHAW
     is trained, informed, and prepared to handle these patients and get them back on the road to recovery. One specifically trained Registered Nurse, Melissa Hecht, works overnight at Bronson because she’s always worked nights. “I like the culture of the night staff. I started out as an Aide and when I finished school almost seven years ago, I just worked nights all the way through,” she told me. “My Grandma was a nurse, so that’s a big reason I never thought about anything else. I’m gonna be a nurse when I get older.”
Melissa told me about the patients who could not speak with their fami- lies before being ventilated. “It was a difficult time, emotionally, physically, mentally, and spiritually draining,” she said, “We were the last people they talked to, the last people to hold their hands. We gave all our souls to them. We willed them to get better. I think the hardest part was not know- ing what was coming next, waiting for that other shoe to drop. Thankfully we had the resources needed if or when it did.” Melissa says that Bronson did a great job of keeping the staff trained, informed, and prepared during the crisis times.
Melissa attended the Calhoun Area Career Center during her senior year
at Lakeview High School. “I had the opportunity to go through the five rota- tions for a medical career,” she said. ”It was really job shadowing, but it was helpful to make a decision. I received college credit during that year, went on to graduate from Kellogg Community College Nursing School, and then re- ceived a Bachelor’s degree from Miller College in conjunction with Western Michigan.”
So how do you overcome these difficult times? Melissa told me she’s taken up Diamond Gem Art (it’s real, I looked it up). “I found I could do that for about an hour after coming home and I get everything out of my brain.” She has family and friends, too. A niece just celebrated her 5th birthday and thankfully Melissa’s family was able to gather with social distancing and loving conversations to support both her and her niece!
Melissa has worked for Bronson Battle Creek since graduating and has always worked in ICU. “I love people and I want to make one of their worst
Melissa wanted to ensure we all learn at least two things from her. “One thing I want to mention is how amaz- ing our community has been in rallying behind us. From individuals in the community to businesses... donating PPE, donating food, beverages... we had cards sent to us, other units in the hospital made cards for us. This wasn’t just an ICU or Covid-19 unit experi- ence. This was Bronson Battle Creek rallying behind our unit as a whole, showing their appreciation for what
we were doing. Showing that love and appreciation meant so much to all of us and helped push us through.” Melissa also mentioned the staff she works with, “They are phenomenal people that we work with. I couldn’t imagine working with any other team.”
  269-965-2979
www.shawcommunication.com
T. R. Shaw Jr. Co-Founder / CEO / 269-209-5555 cell / TRSBCMI@gmail.com Kathy Shaw Co-Founder / President / 269-209-9719 cell / KSBANFSH@gmail.com
 6 SCENE 4509 I HEALTH ISSUE
Did you know that Bronson Battle Creek
has served 78 Covid-19 patients since March? The Intensive Care Unit (ICU)
Melissa Hecht
days a better day by being a better presence in their life during a very difficult time.” Covid-19 has given Melissa and other staff members at Bronson Hospital the opportunity to be there for others. “I think Bronson did a great job structuring how we were going to handle a surge, if and when we got one,” Melissa told me. “We didn’t surge like Detroit or New York. Obviously our community is smaller than those communities. But for us it was still a very overwhelming time. Even though we didn’t have the numbers like Detroit, the people we saw were, as it relates to ICU, were
the sickest of the sick and sicker than I’ve ever seen in my short but long enough nursing career.”
Visit www.bronsonbattlecreek.com.















































































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