New book about Greenwich Hospital Emergency Dept. pandemic heroics
May 5, 2022 at 9:38 a.m.
What began as a cathartic exercise by Christopher Davison, MD, to process the events of the COVID-19 crisis has turned into a newly published hardcover book that recounts the trials and tribulations of working in the Emergency Department at the height of the pandemic in 2020.
“Greenwich Hospital Emergency Department and COVID-19. Our Voices. Our stories. Our Journey” features 53 personal essays, photographs, drawings and poems by frontline employees—doctors, nurses, respiratory therapists, transporters, environmental services employees, registrars, security personnel, facilities crew and others—who worked together when little was known about preventing or treating the virus.
The seed for the book came about when Dr. Davison, ED medical director, shared a personal essay with Spike Lipschutz, MD, VP, Medical Affairs. The two decided a book of similar entries would be the best way to memorialize the heroic efforts of this team. With every COVID-19 patient first coming through the ED, this unique group of employees saw patients at their worst and put themselves and their families at greater risk of getting sick.
The essays are powerful and intimate. A pregnant nurse worried about the impact of COVID-19 on her unborn child. A transporter recalled taking patients who passed away to the hospital’s morgue. Doctors stressed about their inability to treat the disease. Staff worried about bringing the virus home to their families.
“The feedback we have received is just what we hoped,” said Dr. Lipschutz. “Everyone who reads these heartfelt submissions is likely to feel a sense of pride, inner strength, camaraderie and a genuine and sincere sense of accomplishment. The inspiring stories impact anyone whose life has been touched by the pandemic.”
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