ACCESS Nursing News and Blog

Nurses are once again being stretched to their limit. The recent surge in COVID-19 cases throughout the US due to the Omicron variant has left hospitals, nursing homes, and other medical care facilities critically understaffed with nurses suffering from burnout and stress.

We have officially entered the “flu season.” Medical experts report that they are expecting some confusion in the coming months as cases of the flu emerge at the same time as the number of people, both vaccinated and unvaccinated, who test positive for COVID-19 increases throughout the US.

Almost every business and industry nationwide is currently facing a staffing shortage. The healthcare industry is no exception. The American Nursing Association (ANA) has declared the nurse staffing shortage “a national crisis.”

Congratulations to our ACCESS Nursing Services founder Louise Weadock, who has just added the prestigious Crain’s New York Business 2021 Notable Women Business Owners to her rapidly growing list of awards and achievements! Louise was also named to Crain’s New York Business 2020 Notable in Health Care, and she was awarded the 914Inc. Women in Business Awards, among Westchester’s Class of 2020 Women in Business.

The ACCESS Nursing Services  COVID Care Force, led by ACCESS Nursing CEO Louise Weadock, is revving up again! Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo revealed this week that New York is entering a “new phase in the war against COVID” in The New York Times story, Cuomo Fears ‘Nightmare of Overwhelmed Hospitals’ as Virus Cases Spike.  With the goal of preventing hospitals from becoming overwhelmed like they did in March during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, Cuomo unveiled a series of emergency measures as the daily positivity rate continues to rise throughout the New York and Tristate region.

Although Thanksgiving may look a bit different this year, it is still one of our most meaningful holidays and the time to reflect and give thanks for all the people and blessings in our lives. As we approach Thanksgiving Day, I would like to express how grateful I am to our nation’s nurses – our healthcare heroes -- who have put their lives on the line each and every day. They have been the ones to “run into the burning buildings” and have stood courageously by the so many who have been sick and sadly, those who have passed, from this terrible virus.

World Kindness Day takes place every year on November 13. But this year is a particularly special one with a new type of “kindness hero” that’s emerged: teachers, supermarket cashiers, mail carriers… nurses!

2020 has been called the “Year of the Nurse” and for good reason. In the midst of a pandemic, nurses and other healthcare workers have put their own health at risk to save the lives of others. Their countless acts of selfless kindness and compassion are “contagious” and have inspired all of us at ACCESS Nursing Services each and every day.

Here are our Top 6 ACCESS Nursing Acts of Kindness of the year (although we still have 6 weeks to go!):

1) Once the pandemic hit, Louise Weadock, ACCESS Nursing CEO and veteran nurse, ran towards the frontlines and hasn’t turned back since. In her 45 years in healthcare, she has stood at the forefront of the AIDS Epidemic, SARS, MERSA, 911, Swine Flu, Ebola, H1N1 and now COVID-19. Leveraging her decades of knowledge, experience and skill combined with her determination, courage and compassion – the work Louise has done this year for COVID-19 has led to saving thousands of lives. In fact, Louise has been honored and recognized for her heroic efforts with awards from Crain’s NY Business and 914Inc/Westchester Magazine.

2) The COVID Care Force of 1,500 nurses recruited by ACCESS Nursing was a tour de force in helping hospitals overloaded with sick patients and managing their care with a shortage of nurses stretched beyond their limits. “These (nurses) are humans with hearts. These are humans with kids and families and homes that they can’t take care of right now because they have such a hardwired heart to care, they have to go out into this storm. It’s just… that’s how they’re wired,” explains Louise Weadock in a Healthline article.

3) Reassuring parents and a frightened public in fear of the unknown as the pandemic hit, became a crusade for Louise Weadock. Too often, the mental health issues that emerged and the greatly increased anxiety due to an unpredicted and unprecedented COVID-19 virus, had been forgotten or set aside.

4) “Caring for those who care:” we created the COVID Couch online support group to offer kindness and care to the many nurses struggling with depression and anxiety.

5) From donating blood to those in need to donating food and flowers to frontline workers at hospitals, including Columbia Presbyterian Hospital in NYC, our team worked tirelessly to fill voids wherever they found one!

6) When the lockdown lifted and businesses were challenged with reopening and creating their own health screening programs, we launched a COVID Clear testing and tracking service to help and support the reopening of schools and businesses.

We are always seeking kind, caring, highly experienced professionals to join our ACCESS Nursing Services team of RNs, LPNs, CNAs, HHAs, etc. For more information, https://www.accessnursing.com/careers-join-access-nursing or email: recruiter@accessnursing.com.

Healthy Halloween! This Halloween may look a bit different, but that doesn’t mean you still can’t have fun! According to ACCESS Nursing COVID Clear Services CEO, Louise Weadock, the key to Halloween 2020 is to be “careful and not fearful!” Follow these helpful tips to safely go about your Halloween weekend.

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