Staying Strong Against COVID-19 in Arkansas: How Patients and Staff are Resilient Together


Staying Strong Against COVID-19 in Arkansas | Arkansas Heart Hospital

Since Arkansas Heart Hospital assembled a multidisciplinary COVID-19 team of physicians, nurses, care partners, respiratory therapists and support service workers six weeks ago, they have gone above and beyond to care for our patients. Because patients in our COVID-19 unit are not allowed visitors, they have taken on the dual role of health care provider and emotional supporter. We consider ourselves a family here, and our sense of family has only grown stronger in the face of COVID-19 in Arkansas.

Jessica Adkins, a patient care partner on our COVID-19 team, quickly became an integral part of this “family within a family.” This team works alongside each other 12 hours a day, isolated from the rest of the hospital – a challenge on its own, but one that our team faces with grace and optimism. Every day brings something different, from revised CDC guidelines to revised hospital protocol, and the team relies heavily on each other to keep morale high.

“We pride ourselves at working hard both for the patients and for each other, which is what we do. No matter how bad a day is, we can always count on the people next to us,” Jessica said.

Jessica enjoys painting as a stress reliever, and decided to use her talent as a symbol of resilience for this challenging season. During another critical chapter of history, Rosie the Riveter represented unity among a nation that knew they needed to come together to survive – and that they needed each other, too. This inspired Jessica to paint Rosie the Riveter as a frontline caregiver donned in full PPE. Her painting hangs in our COVID-19 unit as a symbol of our resolve and dedication to our patients and our mission.

In honor of National Nurses Week and to celebrate the bravery of our frontline workers, we’re putting Jessica’s painting on display for everyone to see – as a banner of hope on the front of our hospital. Jessica and all of our frontline caregivers have worked hard and made sacrifices for our patients, and we want the world to know how much we appreciate them.

We don’t know what the future will bring, but one thing we know for sure – through it all, Arkansas Heart Hospital will come out stronger, resilient and more united than ever before. Together, we will overcome this challenge.

Click here to learn more about our hospitals’ COVID-19 precautions to keep you and our staff safe.