Colorado Health Care Workers Volunteer To Help Other States Where COVID Cases Are Surging

DENVER (CBS4) - As the Delta variant surges in other states, Colorado health care workers have been answering the call to help overworked staff in other parts of the country. A team of workers from HealthONE facilities around Colorado has answered the call to help.

"We're part of a bigger enterprise, HCA, we have hospitals all over the nation. And we have a lot of hospitals in Florida, so the call for help went out and I volunteered," said Hollie Seeley, the Chief Operating Officer at Rose Medical Center. "I believe in my heart there's always room to help and I'm happy to do it."

The call for help was sent out on a Thursday. Seeley and other Colorado health care workers were on a flight on Sunday morning.

"There was a lot of opportunity to get my hands dirty but also look from a higher level," Seeley said.

As an executive, with nearly 30 years of experience as a nurse, Seeley did everything from helping with administrative tasks to helping triage patients, to even stocking the supply closet.

"It is a job that needs to be done and was important for them and I was willing to do whatever I was asked," she said.

The hospital was facing a tired staff and was over capacity by about 40 patients each day. Seeley says she learned how to manage through the peak of a surge, something Colorado hasn't experience during the pandemic.

"I am more tired than I've probably been in my almost 30-year health care career. You have to be conscious about it because there are so many reasons not to do it right now, especially with the need right here in the hospital," Seeley said. "I'm proud of the healthcare workers that keep coming back to work day-in and day-out."