SATURDAY, APRIL 25, 2020 Hauora Tairawhiti incident controller On Monday March 23, across all of health Nicki Dever listens carefully to Prime Minister Jacinda 2020, Prime Minister Ardern’s lockdown announcement on Jacinda Ardern made Monday March 23. Health heroes Picture supplied an announcement that rocked a nation. Covid-19 was a threat and New Zealand was locking down to ight it. Millions watched the broadcast including many of the district’s health workers. he Gisborne Herald caught up with some of them including a mother-of- two nurse who created a bubble of one to save lives, and a health protection oicer who delivered the news to this district’s irst person to test positive. month on from the unprecedented here it was.” gave doctors and nurses private spaces for decision to put New Zealand into Just days before, Dr Meuli and a team of assessing patients and where necessary, a Level 4 lockdown to combat hree Rivers Medical and Hauora Tairāwhiti testing them for Covid-19. Working amidst Athe spread of Covid-19, front- clinicians created a swabbing facility at hree curtain pulleys and theatrical rigging, health line doctors, nurses and health emergency Rivers Medical. hen, three days later, taking staf said it felt like working on a ilm set. response staf look back at that irst week in their direction from the Ministry of Health, Dr Meuli says by Friday March 27, the lockdown — it was one they will never forget. they built a respiratory illness assessment second full day of lockdown, the centre was For Dr Anna Meuli the Prime Minister’s centre at the War Memorial heatre. he up and running. address to the nation was a pivotal moment. Covid-testing site was nothing short of “We knew we had to get it right — for our “I found it very emotional,” says the tall, extraordinary, and epitomised community community, our friends, our families and our green-eyed doctor who is this district’s GP and business co-operation at a time of urgent colleagues.” Liaison. Also a hospice doctor and previously need. In the emergency operations centre with a GP with hree Rivers Medical, Dr Meuli “We had wondered if the Lawson Field Dr Meuli the day of the Prime Minister’s says there was an electric tension in the heatre might work but then we came down announcement was the district’s incident emergency operations centre at Hauora here with Gisborne District Council staf and controller across all of health that week, Nicki Tairāwhiti where she and 12 others watched we could see that this theatre would work.” Dever. Ms Ardern’s plans for lockdown. On the theatre’s stage behind the gold Nicki works at Hauora Tairawhiti and had “We’d all been seeing what was happening house-curtain, six consultation pods were taken over the role from fellow clinical care around the world, we knew the risks, that’s built from medical grade temporary walls manager Lynsey Bartlett. why we were preparing, and now . well . and topped with plastic ceilings. he pods CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Dr Anna Meuli. Picture by Biddy Robb News year’s resolution? Stay, Keep Subscribe safe and informed... today healthy 32053-01 Call Cara Haines on 869 0654 or email cara.haines@gisborne herald.co.nz 2 THE GISBORNE HERALD LEAD Hauora Tairawhiti associate director of Health protection oicer Cathy Walker at Keisha Bartlett works on the health front Occupational therapist Britta Carroll. nursing Roger Huntington. Picture supplied home on a day of. Picture by Biddy Robb line. Picture by Biddy Robb Picture supplied ‘Rapid response across all of health was remarkable’ FROM PAGE 1 they were really receptive to what was going of me as I wanted to be able to answer his Until changes in how New Zealanders live on. hey understood the need to get it done questions.” and work are announced, Keisha is resigned In April she would pass the baton to former safely and quickly.” Tall and it, Cathy loves her job. She loves to the life she’s living. She’s missing nerf gun Civil Defence Emergency manager Louise Normally, Roger manages the needs and working in environmental health and can wars with her six-year-old and watching ships Bennett. requirements of the hospital’s 200 nurses often be found outside checking the region’s at Eastland Port with her youngest. “It was an emotional moment. I think — so turning a 24-bed medical ward into a drinking water supplies. “I do get upset, but I’ve got good friends and we all thought ‘what does it mean for our six-bed (or more if necessary) Covid-19 ward But ringing the man with Covid-19 certainly family support. All that other good stuf will community, all our health staf and for was a unique challenge. made for a signiicant work day. just have to wait.” ourselves?’ ” “Our clinical staf devised safe ways in “I think he said something like ‘oh geez’ and Sporty 26-year-old Britta Carroll is also After Ms Ardern’s address to the nation which we could move and care for people then he put the call on speaker so his partner playing a waiting game. he outgoing you could have heard a pin drop. Nicki was with Covid-19 within the hospital and that could hear.” occupational therapist had recently resigned quick to speak. She took immediate control included the reconiguration of Ward 5. It Cathy has admiration for the people she from her job and was just about to tour the communicating priorities including the meant those with suspected or conirmed met over the phone that day. world with her partner when she watched urgent need to inish reconiguring Gisborne Covid-19 could be kept physically separate “He always took the situation he was in very the Prime Minister’s lockdown address in the Hospital so it was ready to receive people with from other patients.” seriously and was very helpful. He stayed oice pictured above. Covid-19. Roger played commander while his in his bubble and did everything that had “he week before, we had decided to reduce With blonde hair tucked behind her ears, management team organised equipment been asked of people arriving back in New our six-month overseas trip to one month, Nicki was a no-nonsense operator that day, relocation and staing changes. Signiicantly, Zealand.” but when I saw the announcement, I realised and on all the days she led the team. he also oversaw the delicate process of “It was a powerful conversation for both of things were more serious than we thought. She is trained in the New Zealand-wide moving existing patients out of Ward 5 so us I think.” No trip, and my partner would have to remain co-ordinated emergency-management system it could be rebuilt as the Covid ward. Eight Keisha Bartlett (Rongowhakaata, Ngati in Christchurch as it would not be considered known as CIMS and was no stranger to patients were assessed and then moved to Porou, Tuhoe) is one of the nurses testing essential travel to be reunited.” emergency situations. diferent areas of the hospital. One was able people for Covid-19 at the War Memorial If that wasn’t enough disappointment With the hindsight of a week, she says it to be discharged. heatre. She’s given up cuddles and war to deal with, Britta also had to be tested was professionally challenging for everyone Roger was proud of the staf who guided games with her sons after creating a bubble of for Covid-19. She’d been to a wedding in involved and there will be a lot of learnings. those patients and their families through that one while she works. Hamilton which had one overseas guest, “My job was to maintain overall co- challenging transfer. “I discussed with my parents the need to and after feeling unwell on her way home to ordination of the health response and all the “I’ve never had to do a reconiguration isolate myself if I was working at the centre Gisborne, she thought she’d better get tested. activities and personnel involved. We were before and of course I enlisted all the relevant and what that would mean,” says the 33-year- Britta was impressed with the process and striving to make it work for everyone.” managers to help. But we found the families old. the care taken to ensure her own and the “he rapid response across all of health was were really understanding and it went “I didn’t want my parents to get sick and doctor’s safety. remarkable.” incredibly smoothly.” so I have left my boys there and created a “here’s no getting away from the fact it’s he Prime Minister’s announcement went At the same time Ward 5 was being readied, bubble-of-one.” an uncomfortable test, but I felt like I was in completely unnoticed by associate director of a local man in his 50s was learning that he Keisha says her solo situation adds to an good hands.” nursing Roger Huntington. Quietly spoken had tested positive for Covid-19. He heard it already charged environment. When she As for her normal work, much of it has and with 20 years of practice under his belt, from health protection oicer Cathy Walker gets home she pores over videos of what her changed including the way occupational he was already absorbed with creating a who was acutely aware of the important children have done each day. health services are delivered. hospital ward to treat people with Covid-19.