University of Northern Colorado Athletics
Banner Health Hometown Hero - Jason Adams
3/15/2021 3:27:00 PM | General
As the COVID-19 pandemic impacted the world, the medical field stepped into the light for the amazing work they perform day in and day out. UNC Athletics is highlighting Banner Health Hometown Heros for their impact on the community during these unique times.
Jason Adams, House Supervisor
What does your job entail?
We provide supervision and coordination of all hospital operations. We coordinate the daily flow of the hospital. We are the primary point of contact for other leaders such as charge nurses and supervisors. We are the first incident commander of a large-scale crisis event. If a patient or family calls the hospital and asks to speak with the administration, we take that call. Our role is broad and it can be very exciting. You never know what to expect.
How did you place patients with COVID in the correct unit?
We have protocols to place COVID-19 positive patients together in the same unit. At the moment, we can make the best decision with the information we have to place patients in a certain unit or to open up an additional overflow unit if needed.
Did you have to double-occupancy rooms?
Due to capacity and "cohorting" patients, we needed to have two patients in a room at some times after careful consideration. This only occurred in the intensive care unit when patients were sedated and intubated because of their illness.
How did you best support patients during such an isolating time with visitor restrictions?
This was so difficult for so many reasons. We have IPads distributed across the hospital units that patients could use to connect virtually with their loved ones. The staff also spent more time especially when they could tell someone was lonely.
How did you help prevent the spread of the virus throughout the hospital?
We have many protocols regarding properly putting on and taking off personal protective equipment. This a hot topic and most healthcare workers will tell you if you do not do this properly, the PPE is not effective. The entire hospital team was diligent about handwashing, using hand sanitizer, and wearing their masks, eyewear, gowns, and gloves.
Were you involved in any incident commands?
Most of us were involved with formal Banner Health Incident Command in some capacity. All of the house supervisors are trained by FEMA and certified as incident commanders. Because the incident command team met over the course of several months, our efforts were better served focused on daily hospital operations. Some of us were actively involved with planning and collaborated with other area hospitals to exchange information to best accommodate the new patients being admitted. This was a time of teamwork. Regardless of what team you worked for, we all (especially in the House Supervisor role) collaborated with our counterparts at other hospital systems in the area.
What does your job look like in a state of emergency versus day-to-day operations?
This role definitely brings out a sense of responsibility. It is almost like you are the parent of the hospital and as such you take on the emotion and stress of the staff who work for you. I think several of us shed tears over that feeling of responsibility. Moving back to day-to-day operations the work today seems easier than it was before because we were in a stressful period for such a long time. It was traumatic for our staff no matter how long you've worked in health care. Typically, department leaders have the autonomy to make decisions for their individual teams. During a crisis, house supervisors become much more involved in directing operations. An example of this is during a surge in patients, a patient care unit needed to change staffing models to care for more patients and the house supervisors stepped in to help out.
Are there any new efficiencies you have learned that will help you in the job moving forward?
Now, our role seems quieter. We are still actively involved daily in operations however a positive of this situation is that the other hospital leaders have become more self-sufficient and independent. Our focus now is to review processes and identify areas that we can improve upon in the event of another patient surge. We also learned that sometimes the best form of leadership is to stand back and observe how your team is doing. If they are doing well, give positive feedback and watch them grow. It is difficult to teach leaders of leaders, but every single house supervisor nationally who worked through COVID-19 is proud of their team. At NCMC we certainly are proud of the resiliency and focus the team continues to show and the excellent care they give.
Jason Adams, House Supervisor
What does your job entail?
We provide supervision and coordination of all hospital operations. We coordinate the daily flow of the hospital. We are the primary point of contact for other leaders such as charge nurses and supervisors. We are the first incident commander of a large-scale crisis event. If a patient or family calls the hospital and asks to speak with the administration, we take that call. Our role is broad and it can be very exciting. You never know what to expect.
How did you place patients with COVID in the correct unit?
We have protocols to place COVID-19 positive patients together in the same unit. At the moment, we can make the best decision with the information we have to place patients in a certain unit or to open up an additional overflow unit if needed.
Did you have to double-occupancy rooms?
Due to capacity and "cohorting" patients, we needed to have two patients in a room at some times after careful consideration. This only occurred in the intensive care unit when patients were sedated and intubated because of their illness.
How did you best support patients during such an isolating time with visitor restrictions?
This was so difficult for so many reasons. We have IPads distributed across the hospital units that patients could use to connect virtually with their loved ones. The staff also spent more time especially when they could tell someone was lonely.
How did you help prevent the spread of the virus throughout the hospital?
We have many protocols regarding properly putting on and taking off personal protective equipment. This a hot topic and most healthcare workers will tell you if you do not do this properly, the PPE is not effective. The entire hospital team was diligent about handwashing, using hand sanitizer, and wearing their masks, eyewear, gowns, and gloves.
Were you involved in any incident commands?
Most of us were involved with formal Banner Health Incident Command in some capacity. All of the house supervisors are trained by FEMA and certified as incident commanders. Because the incident command team met over the course of several months, our efforts were better served focused on daily hospital operations. Some of us were actively involved with planning and collaborated with other area hospitals to exchange information to best accommodate the new patients being admitted. This was a time of teamwork. Regardless of what team you worked for, we all (especially in the House Supervisor role) collaborated with our counterparts at other hospital systems in the area.
What does your job look like in a state of emergency versus day-to-day operations?
This role definitely brings out a sense of responsibility. It is almost like you are the parent of the hospital and as such you take on the emotion and stress of the staff who work for you. I think several of us shed tears over that feeling of responsibility. Moving back to day-to-day operations the work today seems easier than it was before because we were in a stressful period for such a long time. It was traumatic for our staff no matter how long you've worked in health care. Typically, department leaders have the autonomy to make decisions for their individual teams. During a crisis, house supervisors become much more involved in directing operations. An example of this is during a surge in patients, a patient care unit needed to change staffing models to care for more patients and the house supervisors stepped in to help out.
Are there any new efficiencies you have learned that will help you in the job moving forward?
Now, our role seems quieter. We are still actively involved daily in operations however a positive of this situation is that the other hospital leaders have become more self-sufficient and independent. Our focus now is to review processes and identify areas that we can improve upon in the event of another patient surge. We also learned that sometimes the best form of leadership is to stand back and observe how your team is doing. If they are doing well, give positive feedback and watch them grow. It is difficult to teach leaders of leaders, but every single house supervisor nationally who worked through COVID-19 is proud of their team. At NCMC we certainly are proud of the resiliency and focus the team continues to show and the excellent care they give.
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