STAFF DEPLOYED TO SUPPORT FAR WEST NSW COMMUNITIES NSLHD staff have been deployed to far-west NSW
to support communities responding to a surge in COVID-19 cases. Staff from across the district have put up their hand to travel to Broken Hill, Dubbo and Wilcannia to help colleagues in Far West Local Health District in any way they can. Director of Aboriginal Health Peter Shine and Registered Nurse Barbara Triantafilis are currently based in Broken Hill. Peter has been trained up to work with the local public health unit, while Barbara is working at a vaccination hub. Peter said being on the ground, working with the public health unit and going into COVID-19 hot spot areas is a huge learning experience, but he is surrounded by a fabulous team. “A lot of the mob aren’t getting vaccinated or presenting for COVID-19 testing and they are reluctant to do so unless they see the danger to them directly is imminent. “Together with staff on the
Director of Aboriginal Health Peter Shine and Registered Nurse Barbara Triantafilis are currently based in Broken Hill
ground, we are working on a way to try and get all rates up – both COVID-19 testing and COVID-19 vaccination.” For the last two weeks, Royal North Shore Hospital Intensive Care Unit nurses Mikaela Hedge and Emma Cardwell (pictured on the front cover in full personal protective equipment) have been working at Dubbo Base Hospital’s ICU. The unit has capacity for five ventilated patients but when Mikaela and Emma arrived there were already five ventilated patients. “The ICU was already pretty much pushing the boundaries and struggling to manage,” Mikaela said. “We went straight on the
roster and became part of the team – everyone was very appreciative of us being there.” At one point, Mikaela – who has six years’ experience working in the ICU – realised she was the most senior person on the floor. “And I had only been in the hospital for 10 days,” she said. “At regional hospitals there’s not the same resources you have at a major metro hospital, but it was really impressive to see how everyone wanted to help out wherever they could. “There were lots of young and enthusiastic nurses who put up their hand to help. “So the team used Emma and I to help educate more junior staff who didn’t have experience working in intensive care and to train up theatre staff, so when we left it wouldn’t leave a big gap. “Hopefully we’ve helped those nurses train for the future.”
RNSH ICU nurses Emma and Mikaela in Dubbo
NSLHDNEWS | ISSUE 17 | 16 SEPTEMBER 2021
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