Hello and welcome to PBS39 WLVR Community Update on Coronavirus.

It's presented by Capital Blue Cross and brought to you with help from our community partner Lehigh Valley Health Network.

We are coming to you live from the Public Media Center in Bethlehem.

I'm Brittany Sweeney our guest today include an intensive care nurse who's paying tribute to Covid-19 patients lost to the pandemic.

Also with us is the state director of AARP Pennsylvania.

Our guests will be with us in just a couple of minutes.

If you have a question, please give us a call.

The phone number is four eight four eight two one zero zero zero eight.

We'll answer some of your questions.

Five plus four coronavirus updates.

Be sure to sign up for our newsletter.

You can do that at our website coronavirus Lehigh Valley dog% there you'll find helpful information in both English and Spanish.

Now let's take a look at today's top headline.

The Department of Health says more than 9 million vaccinations have been given in Pennsylvania.

Almost 3.8 million people are fully vaccinated and another 1.8 million have at least a first dose.

The CDC says it ranks fifth in the nation in total doses.

Today, the state reported almost 3000 new coronavirus cases and 47 more deaths to date, a total of 26,400 94 Pennsylvanians have died from Covid-19, Pennsylvania is doing away with its own map of vaccine providers.

The state says people looking for a Covid-19 shot should now go to the federal government's provider map.

You can find it at vaccines .gov.

The map allows people to search for vaccine by brand name and see which providers have vaccine in stock.

The Allentown Health Bureau is taking vaccines on the road.

Staffers will administer the Moderna vaccine next Tuesday at the Cumberland Gardens Apartments.

Then on Saturday 20 second they'll be at Supremo Food Market and Little Apple Market in the 600 block of North Seven Street.

You can also get vaccinated Coca-Cola Park from five to seven pm before the Iron Pigs game on Tuesday, May 25th.

No appointments are necessary and those age 18 up are eligible.

The diocese of Allentown will allow its churches to open to full capacity beginning the weekend of May.

20 second 23rd masks will still be required for worshipers and for priests during communion and the dioceses suspended public masses in March of last year, then reopened with limited limits on capacity.

The diocese serves 260,000 Catholics in a five county region.

It's time now to meet our guests for the day.

Courtney Green is a registered nurse with the Lehigh Valley Health Network.

She joins us during National Nurses Week, a time to appreciate nurses and other health care workers this year.

We take that to a whole other level.

Also with us is Bill Johnston-Walsh.

He's the state director for AARP Pennsylvania.

Thank you both so much for joining us.

Bill, we're going to be with you in just a little bit.

We want to begin today with Courtney.

Courtney, thank you so much for joining us.

And first, of all, thank you and all of your fellow nurses for the tremendous efforts day in and day out this year could not have been an easy one.

You're doing something very special with other nurses and I want to get to that in a couple of minutes.

But first, working in intensive care, you have seen the toll this virus has taken on patients and their families first-hand.

We see the statistics and the numbers and it's easy to lose sight that these are actually people, families, the human side of things.

But you see that every single day.

Can you tell us about that?

Let's start there today.

If you could.

So like you said, I think being part of the general public and seeing those statistics and the figures in my CDC for people to forget that they are people families, but that is something that is constantly at the forefront of our minds.

On Tuesday s the patients that we care for are extremely specialized, which is basically a machine that works as Wuhan outside your body.

And these patients extremely complex and critically ill.

So even though we're trying to pay attention to the tiny nuances that goes along with caring for these patients, we are always thinking of them and their families that's at the forefront of our mind.

You know, we make it, you know, three, four, five phone calls a day just to update families and let them that we're taking good care of their loved ones and we're giving them the best care that we can absolutely take it on that new role of being the liaison between the family and the patient.

For those who can't see their family members who are sick, you've come up with a way to honor these patients that have lost their lives to Covid-19.

Can you talk to us a little bit about that?

Yeah, So just with the losses we've had during this pandemic, and with the patients that we've taken care of, Sinking Spring kind of hard to see any wins in this situation.

We've had patients who have survived and have gone home and we've gotten updates on them and a lot of them are doing great.

But I, I have an exact number.

It's 92 patients at this time last March and this march that has passed way and I think we were looking for some sort of way to feel like we did something good know obviously we took the best care of people that we could, but we wanted to do something that would let the patients families now that even though they passed away, we still still think about them.

They made an impact on us and there's no way they couldn't.

We spoke with families over a phone.

We got to kind of their eyes and their ears and their hands with the patients, hold the patient's hands and be there when their families couldn't be there.

And we just want their families to know that we still think of them.

And they weren't just a statistic.

They weren't just a number and a figure.

They were a person that we really did care for.

So we organized this run to raise money for the Covid-19 Califon through Lehigh Valley Health Network and the money so that goes towards helping pay for the expenses for patients and staff, making sure we have appropriate PPE and whatnot.

But it also helps with the Gordon costs that have accumulated for these patients who wind up on our unit on a ventilator on for weeks at a time.

Sure.

So you've coordinated this run with your coworkers, but it's not one day.

It's throughout the entire month, from what I understand.

Correct.

How does your work so the entire month of May, the American Nurses Association has designated as the month of the nurse.

So we wanted to have this event for the entire month of May one because we can have an in-person event so it can be like a one day thing.

But to just to kind of give ourselves as much time as we could to kind of get the awareness out there and hopefully get the word out to families that we are doing this and we're thinking their loved ones.

And, you know, we've been fortunate.

We've had a couple of family members commented on the Facebook event to let us know that they appreciate that we're doing this.

So we're basically running I'm running 92 miles.

But unfortunately, that number could change.

I'm doing well for every patient that we've had that's passed away.

But we're just looking to see if we can get people in the community to sponsor us to donate some some money to the fund because like I was saying, one of our patients.

And fortunately, passed away is this hospital bill was over $2 million.

And I know some of the money from this fund went to help with that cost.

So we're just trying to get as much time as we can for people to get the word out and to get involved.

Courtney, as if you weren't doing enough just being a nurse and being a selfless person you are now you're adding this fundraising campaign into the mix and raising money for such a great cause.

If people want to give back and donate, how can they get involved and sponsor a nurse or donate in some way if they'd like to?

Well, they can go to the Facebook event.

There is a link in the event that goes to the Covid Fund donation site and we would like to sponsor a runner.

They can just join the group.

They can comment and say, I would like to sponsor so-and-so for how many miles they run and that's how they can sponsor somebody.

And if they do decide to make a donation, they go through that link.

And if they want to make a one time LVHN, they can do that.

But just put in the donation Milford is for the two AZ Covid remembrance.

Courtney, you've seen some, I'm sure, horrible things in the past 16 months.

A lot goes into taking care of these folks.

It really weighs on those caregivers who are taking care of the ill patients.

Is this a way that you can hope?

Is this an outlet for you to kind of take your mind off such a heavy situation?

That you've had to deal with over the past year?

I definitely would say that it is.

I think there's something cathartic about doing this run.

I myself have not been a runner over the last couple of years.

So committing to 92 miles this month is going to be a little bit of a challenge.

But just in the past five days I've run almost 20 miles and it just has proved to be a really great time to kind of think and reflect and make me and I'm sure my colleagues very grateful for for my health and for the health of my loved ones.

And, you know, I just hope that those family members I had some that have touched me very deeply and I hope that they see what we're doing and that brings kind of some peace of mind.

Also.

Sure.

We see what you're doing.

We commend you for you and your coworkers have done such phenomenal things over the past year.

And let's kind of highlight and talk about that kind of bond that you've created over the last year.

Of course, Nurses Appreciation Week started yesterday.

It runs through the 12.

So next Wednesday, talk to me about how your colleagues have showed for each other during this pandemic.

You know, honestly, the group on itself, we just have such great Emmaus there is never, ever a moment where I would say somebody is not willing to lend a hand.

And with the patience that we have been so it's it requires a lot of hands on deck to care for a patient on how we were doing block scheduling at the very beginning of all of this.

And the photos that you're seeing are really these are last year nurses.

We were really in the thick of it.

Almost every single patient was on Mark Knouse and we had staff that some people worked night shift when they really usually work day shift and we had staff working overtime shifts because, you know, I think all of us understand that the patient acuity is so high and that we can all use as much help as we can get.

So I think everybody's just kind of meshed together to kind of make this a very cohesive, smooth running machine.

And at the beginning of this, we were all very scared.

We didn't know what we were dealing with.

We saw a lot of suffering and sadness that I don't think any of us ever predicted.

But now we've kind of, you know, learned how to cope with it together and to provide the best care that we can and support each other in the best way that we can.

And now they're stepping up and joining you in this run.

Have you heard at all from the family who maybe lost a loved one from Covid-19 who realize cause?

Have you heard from those families Gamma And if so, what have they said Gamma So we have heard from a couple of family members.

They have left some comments on our Facebook page and on some other articles that have mentioned the Ron and is they all every single person has said how grateful they are for the care that you've provided, even even though they did lose loved ones and I think it's just been really great for us to be able to say, you know, we only got to know your loved one for a short period of time and sometimes we didn't even get to know them very well because they had a breathing tube.

We never got to talk to them, but it's just been really great to hear from them that even though they've suffered like this tragic loss that the things that we have done have made some sort of difference to them and has made kind of the burden of losing a loved one a little easier to bear, I'm sure, in every single case you have just gone above and beyond to help those families communicate with their loved ones their hardest time.

Courtney, before we let you go, I wanted to ask you about masking and this pandemic as a whole has become such a political hot button.

Many people debating whether masks are necessary or not necessary.

You're on the front line.

You see this day in and day out.

What's your response to those people who say we don't really need masks, we don't really need to follow these safety protocols?

I would say that, you know, unfortunately, unless you are dealing with patients who are so critically ill day in and day out, it might be easy to turn a blind eye to just how devastating this virus is.

But I think those people should count themselves lucky that they don't have a family member who's fallen so severely ill and you know, just science proves that mastering helps prevent the spread of Covid.

And, you know, it's tough with all the different news outlets and information coming from all over the place.

But do your research use reputable sources and I just would say you continue to wear mask if that's what the CDC recommends and that's what we should be doing.

Registered nurse Courtney Green from Lehigh Valley Health Network, thank you so much for joining us today and thank you for everything you do.

Happy nurses Appreciation Week.

Thank you, Brittany.

We continue this community update on coronavirus PBS39 and you can hear the rebroadcast on the radio tonight at nine 30 on 91 3W LVHN.

Now let's bring in our next guest, Bill Johnston.

Walsh is state director for AARP Pennsylvania, a state with one of the highest concentrate of seniors in the nation.

Bill, one of the AARP most important initiative is vaccinating and protecting long term care residents.

Thank you so much for joining us.

What does that involve at this stage in the game?

Thank you for having me here today.

I appreciate that.

Before I get started, I want to I want to just tell Courtney and everything that she and her nurses are doing are just extraordinary.

And we cannot thank you enough for being on that frontline every day.

So thank you.

With regards to what AARP is doing, we've been working with Governor Wolf in his administration to really push forward as you know and I'm sure you've talked about it on previous shows, the 50 plus population, it had a death rate of 90% of all the deaths that happened in Pennsylvania, 90% of them were 50 plus nursing homes had 50% of that with 13,000 over 13,000 deaths.

It was really a hot spot and early 2019 and throughout the year on what was going on.

So, you know, AARP were basically making sure that the nursing homes during the course of last year had the PPE that they needed, had the testing that they needed working with the administration to make sure that things information was flowing and then as we came in to 20 earlier this year, 2020, you know, making sure that the vaccines were available, especially going to nursing facilities, we really pushed hard to get the 60 five plus as well as nursing homes into the first phase and phase one A to make sure that they were covered and they had the shots to begin with.

Why does it seem like a vaccine hesitancy is an issue when it comes to long term care workers Gamma Yes, great question.

I wish I had an answer for that.

So about 85% of all of the residents in nursing facilities, nursing homes, living facilities are already vaccinated if they wanted it.

They already received.

I cannot say the same for the staff.

The staff do have hesitancy.

There's it's less than 50% if you include the nursing homes, the personal care homes and assisted living facilities for staff, I think, you know, hit upon this.

You know, the bottom line here is it's people listening to different news outlets going on the internet, you know, hearing some of the some of the stories, whether they're true or not, out there.

So it's a AARP's job to make sure that we're working with the nursing home industry to make sure we're working with the administration and the legislature to get the right information out there to let people know and have them talk to doctors, health care professionals like Courtney that were able to educate them on the reasons why it's important not just for themselves but for the families.

You know, they may think, oh, I'm young, I don't need this right now, but they're leaving the nursing facilities.

They're going back to the communities.

You know, they want to go visit their grandparents and older relatives and friends and they might be passing the virus on to them.

So they have to think about the community as a whole and not just themselves and what they're looking at.

Bill, nursing homes have been such a center point throughout this entire pandemic, of course, with many of the residents there being so vulnerable, so someone has a loved one in a nursing facility or is sending a loved one to a nursing facility.

What questions should they be asking at this point?

That's a great question.

Basically, you know what we what we've seen, especially in nursing facilities, is that over the last year and a half with relatives and friends not allowed into the nursing home, you know, we've been seeing isolation, depression, health issues have really been on the incline for those residents.

So what we'd like to see is more a more nursing facilities opening up, allowing people, relatives on the outside to come in to give that hug.

Finally to their loved ones.

And so what AARP is doing is that we've come up with a one pager.

It's a one page document.

It's eight questions that you should be asking a facility whether you have someone in already or if you're planning on putting someone into a facility and the questions range from you.

What are your what are your testing like for Covid-19 has been an outbreak within the last two weeks Gamma What are your visitation?

What are you doing with staffing its staffing, being both vaccinated and testing in that front Gamma So it's basically asking the key questions so that they have a better understanding of what that facility is doing for their loved one.

And then that they are really getting information first-hand right up front and communicating back and forth when we talk about the older population, not just those in nursing homes, when we talk about the older population across the entire state, when it comes to vaccines, how is the state doing in getting them vaccinated and is there access for everybody at this point?

Yeah, it was a bumpy start in January after that, but I must say that the administration, you know, the Department of Health and has really the hospitals, the you know, the pharmacies have all been really working together to get the vaccination teams out.

So we're at a much better place here in May than we were at the beginning of the year.

What we're trying to do is educate people.

We're at the point right now where everyone over the age of 65 from AARP perspective as well as the 50 plus have have you know, if they want one, they can make an appointment, they can get one.

We're really focused now on making sure that the nursing homes get what they need because you've got to remember, there's always going to be a constant churn with regards to new individuals coming in and they may not be vaccinated.

So we want to make sure that there continue to be vaccinated in those facilities and then we're focused on the homebound.

There's a real large population of individuals that cannot they don't have family members cannot get out of their homes.

We just want to make sure that they're getting what they need at AARP.

What we did is we did we did two educational pieces.

One is that we started with ten thousand ten thousand calls, a live operator calls to the to to basically homes in five, ten counties throughout the Commonwealth and really been able to ask the question, did you get the vaccination?

Will you be able to if you didn't get it, do you want it?

And being able to connect them with the area agency on aging in those counties and also in the Lehigh Valley what we've been able to do is we've been able to get our volunteer and focus in on the homebound.

Our volunteers have been making calls to individuals.

We've been able to give their names and numbers through the counties and through the area agency on aging and focus on% making sure that they're getting the vaccine that they need if make the appointment with them working with the area agency on aging and then also getting transportation for them if they need to.

If someone cannot come to their home but basically getting them out to to a facility to be able to get the vaccination bill.

Some great information in there.

Of course, it sounds like your puppy like so many of us working from home.

Your puppy wants join the conversation as well.

No worries.

No worries.

So many of us are working from home these days.

I wanted to switch gears and talk about scams.

This has always been an issue with the elder population and now they're being targeted with Covid related scams.

So what should folks look out for?

What should they kind of try to spot so that they don't become a victim of a scam during this pandemic?

Yeah, we've thankfully we haven't seen much of that, but it has been happening a lot of times what people have been getting, especially early on this year, they've been getting calls basically saying when it was harder to get the vaccine, they said we can move you up the line if you only pay $25 $50 to us and we'll make sure you get an appointment for you, which was, you know, not true at all.

Then we've been finding out that some other places have been charging individuals for the vaccine in addition to what the insurance would pay for that.

So we've been really getting education out there and letting people know that one, there should be no cost.

If you can't afford it, then that's it.

You may be asked for your insurance information and that's fine.

Other than that and there is no skipping the line, you know that basically you make your own appointment or you get a loved one to make your appointment and you're able to to get in to get a vaccine, whether it be the one dose or the two doses.

So, you know, we've been hearing less and less with regards to frauds and scams at this moment time, which makes us very happy.

We did a survey out earlier in the year.

We have 1.8 million members throughout the Commonwealth with a little over about 350,000 in the Lehigh Valley.

And we were able to ask them about this.

And there is a very small amount that have been victim of the fraud itself.

And so again, we're just trying to keep that information going and making sure that people realize that there's no need to be paying for these or skipping the line with regards to the vaccine and getting your appointment.

Bill, some really great information that our seniors need to know.

We only have time for one more question.

So my last question for you with the primary election coming up, mail in ballots is something that AARP supports.

What do our seniors need to know on that topic?

Well, basically, you know, we want to make sure just like we did last year, that everyoe that wants to vote can vote.

We want to make sure that they do it in a safe manner.

Whether they do it in person.

I think the I think each county has done a great job, especially last year with getting the mail in ballots and also very good job of in-person voting.

So basically just make sure that you get your ballot if you need a ride.

There are places to go to get a ride to to it.

And it's very important.

If you want to vote, please go out and vote and do it safely.

And I just want to remind everyone that Tuesday, May 11th, which is this Tuesday coming up, that's the deadline to apply for a mail in ballot Bill Johnston-Walsh from AARP, Pennsylvania, thank you so much for joining us today.

Thank you.

We want to thank our guests for being with us today.

And of course, we want to thank you for joining us for Community Update.

Coronavirus will be here at 4pm each Monday, Wednesday and Friday on PBS39 and on the radio at nine 30 those same nights on WLVR News.

We'll be back Monday at four to discuss how the pandemic has affected funerals and families with loved ones lost to Covid-19 can get assistance.

If you have a question, you can leave it at our website, PBS39.org.

On social media or give us a call and leave it there.

The phone number is four eight four eight two one zero zero zero eight.

Again, we want to thank all of our nurses during nurses.

Appreciate Fashion Week.

We hope you have a wonderful week for PBS39 WLVR News.

I'm Brittany Sweeney have a great weekend and of course, stay safe.