4- years later: Conway doctor reflects on what’s changed since COVID-19 began – wpde.com

CONWAY, S.C. (WPDE)

This month marks four years since Conway Medical Center admitted its first COVID-19 patient.

In many ways, life will never return to the way it was before the pandemic, especially for doctors and nurses who were, and still are, on the frontlines.

Medical Officer of Conway Medical Center Doctor Paul Richardson said they learned a lot of lessons from the pandemic, and the virus is still having lingering effects on the hospital.

But now that the height of the pandemic is over, Richardson said he and his staff can finally take a moment to catch their breath.

"We were able to take a breath, sort of catch a breath and catch a break. But really starting to reallocate resources back to what our primary admission was because we saw patients who had a pin-up need for healthcare services," he said.

Richardson was at Conway Medical Center the day they admitted their first Coronavirus patient.

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We were triaging folks from our ED, outside because we were seeing so much respiratory illness at that time. It was a very very labor-intensive, restrictive environment. We had to restrict access into the building even," he said.

March 2020 is when our area really began to be impacted by the virus.

Richardson said some patients put off important procedures like screening mammograms when COVID was at its peak, and because of that, they're still getting caught up on those appointments.

He said COVID changed how the healthcare industry operates daily, adding that hospital staff had to cross-train and do jobs they normally didn't do.

However, he said everyone learned a lot of new skills.

I think were still digging out, if you will, from COVID. We still have the lingering effects of that as far as various things. The other thing I think weve seen a rise of, which is probably actually a good thing is the so-called telemedicine," he said.

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Richardson said having virtual doctor's visits allows hospital workers to be more available for their patients.

That was around before COVID, but really during the COVID period it really got advanced. And so, the technology advanced the acceptance of it, from both provider and patient has advanced. So, weve seen a lot of advances in that regard, and I think thats a good thing," he said.

And another change is people's self-awareness.

I think the other thing were seeing a lot of is peoples awareness of infection control and that kind of thing. We learned a lot of lessons through COVID. So, thats been a great thing as well. I think we all are probably a little more cognizant as far as the masking and that kind of thing, I think things have pretty much gone back to normal, quote on quote. But yeah, I like to think folks are at least a little aware, self-aware," Richardson said.

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Above all else, he said hospital staff, nurses, and doctors are the ones who've been through the most change.

Richardson said the vaccine was a game changer, and they really started to turn the corner because of it.

Thousands of doses ran through here in the first several weeks and I still get asked to this day if I believe in the vaccine. The vaccine was a game changer. Were in a different place today. Thats really where we started to turn the corner," he said.

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4- years later: Conway doctor reflects on what's changed since COVID-19 began - wpde.com