AdventHealth nursing leader: ‘COVID is a lonely disease for patients and nurses’

ORLANDO, Fla., Nov. 5, 2020 – This morning on the AdventHealth Morning Briefing, Linnette Johnson, senior vice president and a chief nursing officer at AdventHealth Central Florida Division, discussed how COVID-19 has changed the nursing profession.

“COVID-19 has upended health care in general, and nursing as well,” Johnson said. “It has impacted our people going into nursing school and students trying to get clinical learning and having to do virtual learning. We have brought nurses out of retirement to cover in areas that were short and be creative in the way we deliver care.”

COVID-19 has weighed heavily on the emotional concerns for frontline health care workers and nurses who must consider the fear of bringing the virus home to their families, said Johnson. Many nurses, she said, deal with social isolation among friends and neighbors who are fearful of getting too close during the pandemic.

“[COVID-19] is a lonely disease. It is lonely for the individual that has it and it is lonely for our nurses that actually give care on COVID-positive units,” Johnson said. “Our nurses have run in amongst the chaos and the disorder and have created harmony. They have been courageous and brave. It’s been heartwarming and heartbreaking, and they continue to fulfill that mission and get us through.”

Johnson thanked everyone on behalf of her nursing team for the positive outpouring of support they have received since the start of the pandemic. “It really makes a difference,” she said.

We encourage you to refer to the video on the Life at AdventHealth Central Florida page to pull direct quotes from Johnson. The video may be downloaded by following this link: https://vimeo.com/475856763#t=173s