For KC nurses on coronavirus’ front lines, a cookie train provides spark in morale
Amid a stressful and unprecedented time because of the COVID-19 pandemic, nurses at Children’s Mercy Hospital in Kansas City wanted to send some positivity, no matter how small … or tasty.
It started off as a small-scale operation, a group of five nurses pooling together some money. They sent cookies to different units at the University of Kansas Hospital, said Melissa Jackson, a charge nurse at Children’s Mercy.
They figured the nurses at an adult hospital were much busier than they were at a pediatric hospital, so a boost in morale wouldn’t hurt. The ensuing sugar rush was just another perk.
“We feel like it’s hitting the adult ICUs harder than us,” Jackson said. “It’s just pretty cool, we as nurses, even though we’re at separate hospitals, are trying to show our support during this time.”
But the cookies didn’t stop there.
Once Kara Purdum, a KU nurse working in the COVID-19 intensive care unit, and others found out about the cookies, they wanted to pay it forward. They got their own batch from Insomnia Cookies and sent it to Saint Luke’s Hospital of Kansas City.
Saint Luke’s then got cookies for nurses at AdventHealth Kansas City, who then provided North Kansas City Hospital nurses with the goods.
What started as a small act of kindness turned into a cookie train, making its way to different local hospitals — one cookie at a time.
“We saw how it had such a great positive impact,” Purdum said. “Just kind of a small, uplifting mental morale that it did. … This is a hard time, but as long as anyone stays together, we’ll get through it.”
As the hours, days and weeks blur together, medical professionals battle difficult conditions combating the pandemic. Whether it’s the nationwide shortage of medical equipment or climbing number of coronavirus cases, it’s put a massive strain on those working on the front lines against the virus.
Purdum said she handles “extremely critical” patients often because she works in an ICU. In recent weeks, her unit was converted to treat COVID-19 patients. She said she’s accustomed to handling critical patients even when there isn’t an ongoing pandemic.
But Purdum said the main difference the past few weeks has been in the medical equipment and the lack of it. That includes following proper protocol to limit any exposure to the virus.
“Ultimately, as nurses, we know we kind of put ourselves in situations that are always not the best,” Purdum said. “Nobody ever thinks you’re going to walk into a pandemic. When you do, and you have a good team that makes sure everybody is not just good physically, but mentally, it’s much better.”
For the local hospitals, there’s always been a sense of togetherness, according to Debbie Wilson, chief nursing officer at Saint Luke’s. For years, the Kansas City Area Nurses Executives has operated for the betterment of patient care. Around 25 executive nurses from local hospitals meet once a month to share best practices and other industry details.
While Wilson said they’re in direct competition from a business standpoint, the nurses are still willing to discuss what’s best for the medical community. Wilson said the cookie train is an embodiment of that spirit.
“It’s a precedent that we have always worked closely together,” Wilson said. “That’s the neat thing and the outstanding thing about nurses. We’re here for our patients and our staff. If we can do anything to make things better for our patients and staff, we’re willing to share best practices.”
While medical professionals work long hours as the number of patients increase, they also look for self care both mentally and physically.
At work, Purdum said they’re following guidelines from the Center of Disease Control consistently, despite those changing every few days amid the pandemic. Purdum said she’s often working overtime to ensure they’re staffed adequately.
Mentally, Purdum said it’s important to detach once leaving the hospitals. With socially distancing guidelines and families at home, she said finding ways to leave work at work is crucial. It’s also why she said small distractions or joys like the cookies are great to spread to the community.
“You see at other hospitals throughout the community also and wish the same for yourself,” Purdum said. “That just shows Kansas City and nurses in general on how we think and how we process. Just to pick each other up and make sure everybody does what they need.”