COVID-19 Open Letter from Dr. Nick Holekamp

Home 5 News 5 COVID-19 Open Letter from Dr. Nick Holekamp
News
March 26, 2020

Open Letter from Dr. Nick Holekamp

Chief Medical Officer, Ranken Jordan Pediatric Bridge Hospital

March 26, 2020

How We Can All Save Lives Together

Like many things in life, your actions today have ripple effects.

You could save countless lives simply by staying home right now, as required by St. Louis City and County and many of the surrounding counties. Sure, it’s inconvenient. But it also makes all the difference to the vulnerable children with medically complex needs at Ranken Jordan Pediatric Bridge Hospital.

By following the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) prevention guidelines and staying home, you protect not just you and your family but also our fragile patients and the vital caregivers they rely on every day in our hospital.

Let’s start with our patients.

Children dealing with multiple medical issues are inherently more sensitive to what could go wrong if they get COVID-19 (coronavirus), such as secondary infections and complications. Almost half the children at Ranken Jordan are on a ventilator already. That means they have a deficiency of pulmonary function so that any additional injury to lung tissue could be life-threatening. These children don’t have any reserve or buffer if they are challenged, tested or stressed by an illness. There’s no room for getting worse. That’s why they are at such high risk.

Our other big concern in this coronavirus outbreak is for our dedicated health care team members who provide round-the-clock care for our children with medically complex issues.

If our employees are exposed to coronavirus in the community while they are away from Ranken Jordan, they won’t be able to come to work for two weeks to provide the necessary care for our patients. If our caregivers are self-quarantined, or worse, diagnosed with coronavirus, we could experience an acute shortage of qualified staff to care for our vulnerable patient population. With not enough caregivers available, these children’s lives are at risk.

Care Beyond the Bedside, our unique care model that encourages children to get out of their rooms to play, requires us to take extra precautions to keep children safe in our more open environment. At baseline, our rigorous approach to infection prevention has proven very successful at minimizing hospital-acquired infections.  In addition, because we don’t have an emergency room and have significantly less traffic than traditional hospitals, we feel that Ranken Jordan is actually a safer setting for these fragile kids since it’s more difficult for germs to enter the building.

Our hope is to keep the virus out of our facility completely. And we know this is possible because it is often the case that Ranken Jordan does not have a single case of influenza among patients throughout the entire flu season.

We’re constantly looking at ways to further decrease the coronavirus risk to patients and each other. We need to slow this beast down.

When communities take serious measures such as keeping people at home, as few as 1% of citizens might actually get the virus vs. up to 70% who could get it if we do nothing. These measures absolutely make a difference.

The silver lining during this outbreak has been the collaboration throughout the community. Barriers quickly fall away when we’re all fighting a common enemy and it has been gratifying to see people on the same team. I’ve also seen the immense talent, heart and courage our colleagues in the pediatric and adult health care worlds have demonstrated as we deal with this devastating virus. We need everyone to step up to be a part of that team so we can protect our children and each other.

Through preparation, vigilance and cooperation, we can protect the most vulnerable through this crisis. It’s essential for the entire community to follow the CDC guidelines and to follow the rules of staying home to stop the spread of coronavirus.

You can make the difference. You can be a hero to the kids at Ranken Jordan.

Nick Holecamp

Subscribe to Newsroom

Sign up today to receive the latest news from Ranken Jordan.

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Share

FacebookLinkedIn

Related Posts

Hogans Lead Fundraising Into the Future

Hall of Famer Chris Pronger, wife Lauren Pronger, and St. Louis Blues mascot Louie the Bear joined more than 40 young patients for a superhero induction Thursday, Aug. 14, at Ranken Jordan Pediatric Bridge Hospital.

Ranken Jordan announces launch of research department and publication of second paper

St. Louis-based Ranken Jordan Pediatric Bridge Hospital has published a new paper in the peer-reviewed journal, Children. The publication is a major milestone for the hospital as it’s Ranken Jordan’s first since the inception of its new research department and its second paper to date.

Hockey legend Chris Pronger turns 40+ children into superheroes

Hall of Famer Chris Pronger, wife Lauren Pronger, and St. Louis Blues mascot Louie the Bear joined more than 40 young patients for a superhero induction Thursday, Aug. 14, at Ranken Jordan Pediatric Bridge Hospital.

Ranken Jordan raises more than $210K at annual Tee it Up For the Kids golf tournament

More than 260 golfers and supporters raised more than $210,000 for Ranken Jordan Pediatric Bridge Hospital at its annual Tee It Up for the Kids golf tournament June 30, 2025, at Whitmoor Country Club in Weldon Spring, Mo.

Ranken Jordan Pediatric Bridge Hospital Welcomes Kim Buie as New Chief Financial Officer

Ranken Jordan Pediatric Bridge Hospital is proud to announce the appointment of Kim Buie as its new Chief Financial Officer (CFO). Buie brings an exceptional breadth of experience and a deep commitment to serving the community for this vital leadership role.

Costumes and Care: A Hospital Halloween

Halloween is a favorite holiday for many children and young adults. Traditions include carefully selecting a pumpkin, carving a perfect face, and scooping out the seeds for a baked salty treat later. Children pour over their costume options for days, even weeks, before finally deciding on just the right disguise. Then they cross their fingers hoping for the weather to cooperate on trick-or-treat night.

Celebrating Excellence: Cara Wins the PHIL Award

As part of National Respiratory Therapy Week, we are proud to announce this year’s recipient of the prestigious PHIL Award: Cara Russell! Cara is a dedicated respiratory therapist who recently celebrated her 20th service anniversary at Ranken Jordan Pediatric Bridge Hospital.

McLean Family Event Raised More than $5,000 for Ranken Jordan Pediatric Bridge Hospital

On October 5th, 2024, the McLean, Illinois community came together to support the second-annual Helping Henry’s Heroes fundraiser event throughout the downtown square of McLean, IL. As a former patient at Ranken Jordan Pediatric Bridge in St. Louis, MO, Henry – who turned five in July – received invaluable help and support during his toughest times.

Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month with Dr. Rosa Suarez-Solar

As we celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month, Ranken Jordan is proud to highlight the inspiring journey of Dr. Rosa Suarez-Solar, a dedicated pediatrician who has been on our team for 19 years. Dr. Rosa’s story is a testament to the ways in which diversity contributes to the excellence of our care and the strength of our workforce.

Celebrating National Coffee Day with our Perk Volunteers

It does not take long after a walk around the hospital for the aroma of freshly brewed coffee to sneak up your nose. In a 24-hour hospital, the caffeinated beverage not only fuels our workforce but brings cozy comfort to guests and caregivers.

“I still think about how Ranken Jordan changed my life.”

— Kiland Sampa, Inpatient Jul-Nov 2013, Outpatient Dec 2013-Dec 2014