Continuing the pandemic fight, three years later

March 26, 2023, marked three years since South Texas VA received its first COVID-19 patient. At the beginning, vaccines were not present and research on the disease was very limited. Record numbers of transmissions sky-rocketed in the South Texas region.

There were immediate lockdowns of clinical and administration staff, overall closure and stoppage of group events like new patient orientation and group therapies.

COVID-19 changed the workforce in a major way, sending health care staff into their homes to telework. Staffing was limited and as numbers continued to climb, local officials began locking down the cities.

Fast forward to today. COVID-19 is still here, but South Texas VA has resumed operations under our “new normal.”

Pandemic taught many lessons

COVID-19 taught South Texas and the world many lessons. In the scope of medicine, it showed us that medical professionals, researchers and scientists can come together quickly, creating a revolutionary stand-in medicine. Together, they created vaccines, guidance on personal protective equipment, guidelines to prevent the spread of the illness and directives were implemented to protect our health care personnel.

Secondly, COVID-19 showed millions of working people forced to stay home that their work could still be done efficiently. We were at the forefront of experimenting with administrative staff working from home. Providers immediately had to use telehealth appointments, quickly digitalizing the medical health care system in a time of need.

These swift changes needed time for re-adjusting, but these options have made people become more flexible with completing the mission while continuing to stay healthy and safe to fight back against COVID-19.

Sharing important information

Our stakeholders relied heavily on digital communication to stay in the know. COVID-19 forced major communication and public relations businesses worldwide to gear up to constantly spread important and time-sensitive information.

Veteran Service Organizations were kept aware of when VA was offering COVID-19 vaccines for Veterans, spouses and caregivers. Communication was key to keeping our Veterans and their families informed about what VA was doing to keep them safe.

Unfortunately, since 2020, South Texas VA has lost seven of our own due to COVID-19. Some of those employees worked on the front line providing direct-patient care, ensuring our Veterans were still receiving the best health care possible during the pandemic.

Tributes to lost lives

Tributes and moments of silence were coordinated to celebrate those lives. We continue to cherish and appreciate the contributions they gave to South Texas.

Pictured above, a South Texas employee places memorial flags, remembering employee lives lost to COVID-19.

Although the pandemic is still present, South Texas VA’s mission has not altered. We are still here to continue to serve our Veterans with the care and compassion they deserve. As our new mission statement reads, we promise to care for those who have served in our nation’s military and for their families, caregivers and survivors.