For many staff members in the Theewaterskloof Subdistrict the Covid-19 pandemic meant the services they usually offer would be temporarily stopped, and they must concentrate their time and effort on Covid-19-related matters. For school health nurse Bailey this meant she would have to shift her focus from caring for learners at local schools to serving the needs of remote Covid-19 patients and their contacts as a contact tracer.
As a school health nurse, Bailey finds herself in a work environment where nurturing is necessary. She is responsible for visiting schools in the Theewaterskloof Sub-district to assess scholars’ medical needs, and then refer them to their nearest primary health-care facility for further assistance. Bailey is also responsible for implementing mass immunisation campaigns, applying vaccines for HPV and TD (tetanus, diphtheria), which are given to girls in Grade 5. According to Neshaan Peton, Theewaterskloof Primary Health Care Manager, Bailey approaches Covid-19 with the same enthusiasm as she does school health. “Bailey embraced Covid-19 the same way she embraces challenges in her ordinary work environment,” she points out, “and uses the same methodology of implementing systems for Covid19. Being a nurse she was able to assist with giving information to patients and took the lead in implementing clinical systems for the contact tracing.”
Even during Covid-19 Bailey’s nurturing nature has remained uppermost, what with continuing to take people under her wing, including new staff members and the rest of the contact tracing team. For her patients Bailey was not only there to monitor progress, but also offered health advice and support, leaving most of her patients sad to see their phone calls come to an end after their quarantine or isolation period. According to Janelle Prins, one of the Covid-19 patients Bailey monitored daily for 14 days, her caring nursing sister was a Godsend who helped her through her Covid-19 journey. “She did her job with love and compassion, and offered me support. I thank God that she was able help me through a very difficult period in my life.”
About her experience as a contact tracer and how she is able to express so much compassion towards her allocated patients, Bailey explains: “it’s a journey one takes with the positive cases, and talking to them and their contacts about their uncertainties helps them during a difficult time.” This is also one of the reasons she does not mind working over weekends and making use of her own resources to contact patients, for she knows the patients expect her phone calls, and this in itself is fulfilling. Bailey says her family has offered her immense support during the pandemic and was extremely understanding when she needed to work over weekends. She says it has not been all smooth sailing, though, and a small percentage of patients have been difficult, which took its toll on her, but she knows she has meant something to most of her patients, something that brings her unparalleled joy.
“Bailey has remained positive, motivated and always willing to take on more during the pandemic,” says Peton. “With her infectious enthusiasm she has proven to be a pilot who is able to navigate while taking the passengers under her wing.” Currently Bailey is continuing with the contact tracing and has also made herself available to assist with implementing prevention measures and educating staff and learners at schools in the area. She looks forward to resuming the school health programme and wishes to encourage parents to ensure their child’s immunisations are up to date.