Sacred Heart Greenwich alumna Ms. Jennie Chieco ‘13, a Registered Nurse at the New York University (NYU) Langone Medical Center, works on the frontlines of the battle against COVID-19.  During this public health crisis, Ms. Chieco, alongside her fellow healthcare workers, dedicates her time to helping hospitalized patients in New York City recover from the virus.

In New York City, health officials have confirmed 106,764 cases of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) to date, and the deaths from the virus in New York State alone represent over 42% of those in the entire country, according to The New York Times.  In response, Mr. Andrew M. Cuomo, New York State Governor, encouraged all New York residents to exercise social distancing and directed schools and nonessential businesses to remain closed until April 29, according to coronavirus.health.ny.gov. 

Although most of the country is out of work, Ms. Chieco and other healthcare workers are busy helping those who are suffering from COVID-19.  Ms. Chieco discussed her experience treating patients who are not able to interact with their family members or friends due to the highly contagious nature of the coronavirus.

“When I see these patients, I realize that they are so lonely and so sad, and they don’t really know what to do,” Ms. Chieco said.  “Every day when I go into those patients’ rooms, it’s just about trying to talk to them and make them feel a little bit more comfortable in all of this.”

While she was a student at Sacred Heart, Ms. Chieco founded the Red Cross Club, a continuation of her eighth grade “Making History” project, and organized the school’s first blood drive.  Ms. Chieco’s inspiration behind these initiatives was her older sister, Ms. Michelle Chieco ‘06, who has thalassemia, a blood disorder that requires her to have biweekly blood transfusions.  

After graduating from Sacred Heart in 2013, Ms. Chieco attended Fairfield University in Fairfield, Connecticut.  There, she majored in nursing and graduated with the class of 2017, after which she moved to New York City to begin her career as a Registered Nurse.  

Before the coronavirus outbreak spread to the United States, Ms. Chieco worked in an outpatient clinic attached to the NYU Langone Medical Center, where she cared for patients before, during, and after various gastrointestinal procedures.  At the end of March, the hospital reassigned her, along with most of her peers, to work in the main facility.  Ms. Chieco explained the gradual process of reassignment for the nurses and doctors within her outpatient clinic.

“About a month ago, [the main hospital] started talking to all the nurses I work with, telling us that we were going to be reassigned,” Ms. Chieco said.  “Then, slowly, they started to pull staff members, a day at a time.  [. . .] Now, all of us have been reassigned to the main hospital.”

The NYU Langone Medical Center is currently a COVID-19 unit, as the majority of its facilities are dedicated to treating both acute and intensive care patients who tested positive for the virus.  Ms. Chieco described the measures that the medical center has taken in addition to reassigning its staff to accommodate the rise in hospitalized patients.

“Four weeks ago, they started to increase the capacity of the hospital by getting beds for [COVID-19] patients and putting patients in unconventional areas.  We have patients that are being held in the main operating rooms [and] in certain areas of the hospital that are no longer open,” Ms. Chieco said.  “On top of that, they just put tents outside of the emergency rooms, so those tents are able to triage patients who are suspected or confirmed COVID patients.”

By mid-March, New York City hospitals began to experience a shortage of personal protective equipment (PPE) such as face masks, rubber gloves, eye protection, and gowns for healthcare workers, according to The New York Times.  At the NYU Langone Medical Center, the healthcare workers receive one N95 mask and a face shield at the beginning of each week, which they store in a sealed paper bag between shifts.  They also have one gown for each day.  Typically, a nurse only uses such PPE once before disposing of it.