Tara Paulose’s pregnancy with twins was not easy and the pandemic made it even harder with safety precautions preventing her husband from attending her many visits to the Pavilion for Women to see her doctor and get updates on her babies’ progress.
At one point, Paulose said she was put on bedrest except for trips to the hospital and even then she was told to limit the time she spent on her feet. On those trips, her husband would drive her to her appointment, help her out of the car and into a wheelchair, wheel her through the screening process and then, per hospital safety protocols, send her on her way.
Paulose then would wheel herself to the patient screening table where she would not only be checked for COVID-19 symptoms but befriend Sharla Weindorff, a 22-year Texas Children’s employee charged with leading a small, tight-knit team of people responsible for screening and helping patients coming to the Pavilion for Women.
“Sharla graciously wheeled me to many of my appointments and she did so with kindness and a smile,” Paulose said. “That might seem like a small thing but it’s not. It gave me a lot of comfort during a very trying time.”
After Paulose gave birth to her two healthy babies and returned home from a brief stay in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, she reached out via email to Weindorff to thank her and send her a picture of her new bundles of joy. The email and picture meant the world to Weindorff, who said she teared up and got goosebumps while reading Paulose’s message.
“It reminded me why I’m here right now,” Weindorff said. “I’m extremely grateful to have an opportunity to be here at the hospital helping whenever, wherever and however I can.”
Other members of the screening team have had similar experiences with patients and many have said that working together to keep people safe has offered them a chance to meet new people, create new friendships, and be useful in uncertain times.
“It makes me feel so good that I can help somebody,” said Mel Cardenas, a member of the screening team. “I believe this is an experience I won’t forget.”
Cardenas, Weindorff and the team of three other screeners and one elevator operator was formed in June when Pavilion leadership decided they wanted the people screening their patients to be Pavilion employees who knew the building well and could easily answer patient’s questions.
Four members of the team – Cardenas, Patti Lambert, Andrea Savannah and Weindorff – all are administrative assistants in the Pavilion. Yajaira Mancia from International Services joined the team via Labor Pool and liked it so much she requested a regular shift with the team, and Samuel Gil is the team’s elevator operator keeping everyone safe by helping to enforce the hospital’s social distancing rules. Since they started working together, the team has screened more than 30,000 patients.
“I am so impressed with this team and what they’ve been able to accomplish together for the good of our patients, families and each other,” said Michele Birsinger, assistant vice president for Women’s Services. “They are doing an incredibly important job with remarkably positive attitudes.”
Lambert said the experience has been eye-opening because it has exposed her to more patients and the issues they are dealing with when they come to the hospital seeking care. She said many of the women she’s encountered are experiencing high risk pregnancies and that telling them their loves ones can’t accompany them to their appointment is hard but the right thing to do under the circumstances.
“Most of them are very kind and understanding,” Lambert said. “But, we understand it’s disappointing and difficult, and try to help make their experience as comforting as possible.”
Savannah said she’s learned a lot about Texas Children’s safety protocols by working with the screening team and that the knowledge she’s gained makes her feel proud of the organization’s efforts to keep everyone healthy and safe.
“I am very happy that we have been given the opportunity to be the gatekeepers that protect the hospital,” she said. “We work really well together.”
Mancia agreed and said the past few months have been some of her best at Texas Children’s.
“I’ve never felt so comfortable at my job,” she said. “I will never forget being part of something so great during such a hard time.”