UHM Nursing Alumni Making a Difference During COVID-19

Leading the COVID-19 response locally and around the globe, nurses serve to protect and care for our communities. UH Manoa Nursing alumni are making meaningful and important contributions at home and around the world. Our alumni chapter board consists of 13 dedicated nurses representing 8 local healthcare agencies, organizations and schools from acute care, long-term care, academia and the military.

Representing a broad range of nursing across the state, we interviewed our alumni board members to catch a glimpse of their individual and unique experiences during this past year. They all have made substantial contributions as nurses in the fight against COVID-19, which we believe is representative of the impact that all of our nursing alumni are making on a daily basis.

We asked: What was a meaningful moment or a way you contributed as a nurse during the COVID-19 pandemic?

 

Michele Lani Bray

DNP ‘19, MS ‘11, RN, PHNA-BC
Assistant Professor, University of Hawaii at Manoa Nursing
Director at Large, UHMNAA

During this austere life, due to the pandemic, one of my main contributions has been to coordinate efforts for the UH Health Science Schools to provide staffing at the points of distribution (POD) clinics as the state rolls out the COVID-19 vaccines. It’s been my pleasure to provide the faculty and students with just-in-time training prior to the start of the POD operations and to be a resource for them and others. I am touched by all who have volunteered at the PODs to protect the residents of our State. I have also been deeply touched by encouraging words of thanks we receive from people at the POD clinics. These affirmations serve as helpful reminders of why we do what we do.

A very special gesture that warmed my heart was when the Waiokeola Preschool gifted us with painted rocks the keiki decorated to be used as paperweights. They have come in handy at each clinic not only for functionality, but also to give us unspoken encouragement as we do what we can to help our community.

 

Joan Kanemori

MS ‘11, CCRN, RN
Vice President, Hospital Operations, Kapiolani Medical Center for Women & Children
Director at Large, UHMNAA

Sometimes it truly is the very little things that make you so happy and proud to make one person’s life just a little easier. We have had many changes in who was allowed into our facility, which encompasses hospitalized patients, some just seeing their physician for a health check-up, others picking up medicine, some getting x-rays, or some who are just accompanying someone who is undergoing treatment.

One moment during this pandemic that I recall being especially meaningful was at a time when we had just changed visitation rules and had limited the cafeteria to employees-only. I had been walking over to the cafeteria and saw an elderly gentleman slowly walking away from the cafeteria, leaning against the hallway using the handrail, and slowly, painfully, taking his time. I approached him and asked how he was doing. He said he was fine, but I walked with him anyway because I was concerned that he would get tired and would need to sit down and there were no chairs nearby. We walked slowly and chatted, and he shared that his wife was in the Women’s Ambulatory Cancer Center for her treatment and he just wanted to get something to drink. Though he refused my offer of getting something for him, we continued to walk. I asked if he wouldn’t mind if I got a wheelchair so that I could help him get to the other side of the building. After another few more steps, he agreed to take a pause while I got a wheelchair for him. A nurse in the lobby who had been checking in visitors helped us by bringing up a wheelchair and eagerly taking him back to wait for his wife. The nurse and I both felt great to help this elderly gentleman, if even for one moment in one day amongst all of the rapid changes occurring in the world of COVID-19.

 

Lydia Kumasaka

MS ‘91, BS, APRN
Manager, Patient Care Consulting Services, The Queen’s Medical Center
President, UHMNAA Board

My most meaningful contributions thus far have had to do with helping to staff areas in which people need help the most. Seeing the different strengths of our staff and matching those up with the needs in the community has been essential. I manage five departments in my role, and one major part I have played has been in directing staff to help with different initiatives occurring at QMC and watching them take the lead in pivoting into other areas.

One such meaningful moment was when I sent an APRN call-in staff to help in developing the COVID-19 hotline for staff and community. This APRN then took on the role as gatekeeper for when other staff are ready to return to work after travel. She worked closely with our President who worked with the State of Hawaii to establish a process. Another moment was when I sent two RNs to help with the COVID-19 hotline for employees. After a few months, one of them was asked to be the co-lead for the employee vaccine clinic. Being able to witness our staff adapt and contribute to improving the lives of those in our community has been incredibly rewarding

 

Genia Parlet

BS ‘91, RN
Palliative Care RN Coordinator, Kaiser Permanente Hawaii
Director at Large, UHMNAA

My role is that of a nurse in the Kaiser Inpatient Palliative Care team. The challenges of COVID-19 have created barriers for patients and families to be together through some of their most challenging times. Due to visitor restrictions, patients are having difficult conversations regarding disease diagnosis, progression, or prognosis with one of our team members at the bedside and the rest of the team and patient’s family joining by phone or video conferencing.

One memorable experience was when we had a meeting with a patient who had been receiving cancer treatment but the cancer was not responding to the treatment. I was at her bedside and had the honor of holding her hand, while wearing gloves, gown and a mask. We talked about how and where she wanted to spend her final days. Her goal was to be at home with her husband of 55 years and surrounded by her children and grandchildren. During our meeting, each of her five children shared their love and appreciation for her. At the end of the meeting, our patient grasped my hand tightly in both of hers and, with tears in her eyes, thanked me for coordinating and facilitating this meeting. She was so happy that it allowed her and her family to have this honest, direct, and loving discussion despite all the barriers created by the pandemic. She went home the next day with hospice care and planned to celebrate each day she was given.

 

LTC (ret.) Janell Pulido

MSN ‘11, APRN, ACNS-BC, RN-BC
Director at Large, UHMNAA

I recently retired from the military after more than 20 years of active duty Army service and could not be prouder of the wonderful work of our military nurses. I had the honor of serving our community through my work leading teams at Tripler Army Medical Center (TAMC). I felt honored and privileged to assist in the COVID-19 global pandemic planning, preparation, and response to keep Hawaii and our Service Members, families, veterans, and beneficiaries safe.

From 2018-2020, I served as the Assistant Deputy Commander for Quality and Safety (DCQS) and our deputy lane included oversight of quality and safety, hospital safety, public health, and customer representative office. Some of my most memorable experiences in this role revolved around helping to lead efforts in COVID-19 planning and response to include: writing policies, setting up hospital screening stations and a drive-through testing site at Ft. Shafter, Hawaii, conducting staff training, developing signage and command messaging for patients and staff, reconfiguring hospital traffic patterns, ensuring contact tracing, developing / tracking / submitting command reports, collaborating with leaders and staff throughout the facility to ensure proper PPE and staff training, providing guidance on a bed expansion plan and expanding COVID operations outside of the main hospital as needed, and providing quality safety input and oversight to departments across the facility and to military units across Hawaii. My teams took on some tremendous challenges and I could not be prouder of what they have accomplished.

 

Perry Tsuruoka

BS ‘14, RN
Emergency Department RN, Straub Medical Center
Secretary, UHMNAA

The emergency department can be hectic and fast-paced, even more so with the ongoing pandemic. Working at the bedside in the ER as an RN has many challenges, but the staff all works together as a team to ensure patients are receiving the best possible care. One of the biggest challenges is keeping families updated about their loved ones. Stricter visitation policies and efforts to control the spread of the virus greatly limits the presence of family at the bedside and, many times, updates can be delayed when the department becomes busy. While it’s not always easy, I enjoy finding ways to keep families involved in the care of their loved ones, including calling them on the phone or speaking to them in-person to update them and to reassure them their family members are receiving great care. Having someone you love in the ER can be very stressful, and nothing gives me more satisfaction as an RN than being able to help ease that stress, even if only a little.

One of the most impactful memories I have is being able to hear the relief in the voice of family members over the phone, or to see them become more relaxed as I explain to them what’s going on with their loved ones. This has been incredibly rewarding and makes me feel like I’m doing my job well. The pandemic has taught me that, more than ever, compassion goes a long way. The chance to be able to help others is why I became a nurse, and I feel privileged to be entrusted with the care of my patients in the ER. The outpouring of appreciation from patients and their families is the greatest reward I could ask for, and it makes me feel like I’m making a difference in the efforts against the pandemic.