It is his third city to work on the front lines during the COVID-19 pandemic, as Arizona presents a new location but a similar challenge.
Ronnie Rodriguez, a travel nurse, previously worked during the pandemic at hospitals in New York and Florida. He came to Arizona and started working at a Valley hospital several weeks ago.
“We’re overwhelmed,” Rodriguez said. “Our [emergency rooms] they are maximums; open units that are not normally used “.
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Rodriguez told ABC15 that the scene at Valley Hospital is too familiar.
“She’s as busy as anywhere,” he said. “I don’t think it’s as chaotic as New York, but compared to South Florida, it’s very similar. I think it’s a little more structured here, so it definitely makes a difference.”
When dealing with some COVID-19 patients who are able to talk, Rodriguez said some have similar stories dating back to Thanksgiving meetings.
“They’re like we got together,” and some family member may have been asymptomatic and had no symptoms, so everyone thought he was fine and after the holidays someone tested positive and everyone else in the family came with that, ”she said.
Rodriguez also said it’s not just about what he sees on the front line, it’s what he feels.
“Most hospitals are ‘code blue,'” Rodriguez said. “So if you hear ‘code blue,’ it’s probably someone who stops breathing somewhere. Before COVID-19, you may hear it from time to time, you know it once a day. But now it’s eight, ten, twelve times a turn. It’s a lot “.
Rodriguez also shared that COVID-19 affects her not only professionally, but personally, as her parents are in the hospital fighting the virus in Florida. He said his father is still in the ICU.
“All day, if I’m at work or if I’m at home here in Arizona, I still have to worry about COVID-19,” he said. “It’s hard when they’re … your own family members. It does [another] difficulty level “.
However, she is determined to help fight the wave in Arizona.
“Nursing is a call,” Rodriguez said. “It’s what I’m here to do. I have to do it. I have to help.”