Waters Employee Jenn Glabicky is Delivering Benefit in the Fight Against COVID-19

April 20th was just another Monday for most. In Massachusetts, it was Patriots’ Day which is a local holiday commemorating the early battles of the American Revolutionary War and when many schools and banks are closed in observance. But, for thousands around the world, it was the day they were supposed to run in the world-famous Boston Marathon. For Waters associate, Jenn Glabicky, it was the day she turned her volunteer efforts from volunteering at a marathon medical station, to being on the front lines at the Boston Hope Field Hospital, assisting patients with COVID-19. 

Jenn works at Waters in the Global Sales Enablement Group, is part of the Milford campus Medical Emergency Response Team and is currently focusing on creating the best tools to enable the sales team to do their work – now a virtual effort. Jenn has been a certified Emergency Medical Technician for almost 15 years and volunteers for the American Red Cross, which brought her to help during the Boston Marathon Bombing in 2013 and with Hurricane Harvey relief efforts in 2017. Now, Jenn is working seven days a week; Monday – Friday at her job for Waters and on weekends she heads into the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center where the Boston Hope Field Hospital has been set up to help care for 1,000 COVID-positive patients on-site.

Jenn posted a note on LinkedIn about her experience on Marathon Monday and we’ve asked her to share a little more into what she is seeing and feeling and how we can help:

We do what is called ‘donning’ (properly putting on) and ‘doffing’ (properly taking off) the PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) in order to keep ourselves and the patients safe. PPE consists of a hair covering, gloves, N-95 mask, face shield or goggles, gown and booties. When in the presence of COVID-positive patients we always need to be dressed in PPE, no exceptions. 

When we are not inside of the hospital, we must wear a paper mask at all times and stay six feet apart from each other.  During our lunch breaks, we are not allowed to have more than three people sit together at a table and the tables are even taped in three sections to make sure we don’t break the rules.

The hospital is broken down into sections; Alpha, Bravo, Charlie, Delta & Echo. I am assigned to either Alpha or Bravo and the military runs Charlie. Thus far, because all of you amazing people are staying home, we haven’t had a need to open Delta or Echo – so please STAY HOME!!!  The photo below is of West Bravo Team 1 – can you find me?

The hospital doesn’t have a call system or overhead, so our cell phones are our lifelines in there. Our phones are often in Ziploc bags and my family will ask if I am okay, so I will send them a quick selfie just to show them I am safe, okay, and still thankful to be working. If we run out of bags, we can’t bring our phones into the hospital for our 12-hour shifts.

Before these signs were on the door at the hospital, there were signs with big scary warnings of how we needed to mind our P’s & Q’s and then you immediately walk in to a sterile environment with the National Guard watching your every move to make sure you dress properly…it was not a very welcoming environment and these ‘thank you’ signs made such a world of difference. They may seem so minor, but you really felt like ‘Yeah, I can do this!’  As a healthcare professional you know you are going into a depressing situation and you need to put your own thoughts and emotions aside so that you can be your best for your patients and colleagues.

This past Saturday, I had come home from a really rough shift (physically, mentally and emotionally), and I had my head down really dragging up the stairs thinking about what I had endured during my shift, trying to let myself ‘feel’ it, so I could then let it go and prepare for my shift on Sunday morning. When I lifted my head to put my key in the door, I saw my neighbors had put signs on my door to lift my spirits and lift my spirits they did!

When people say to me, ‘We want to help, what can we do?’, having your kids make signs like these would be wonderful. The power of these signs really makes such a difference and means so much to the staff. 

Another question people ask me is about cloth masks people are donating. We can’t use them in the hospital but appreciate them for the drive in and out and going to the grocery store. One other item that people could make that would be very helpful are scrub hats! Those, we can use on the floor.

If anyone is looking to donate other items, I know many people travel and may have a stock-pile of hotel toiletries that they’ve saved as ‘souvenirs’, we could absolutely use those as the patients don’t have access to these personal hygiene items and we are running on very limited resources.

Jenn, you’re showing all of us what it means to be a Waters employee who Delivers Benefit. Thank you for your tireless efforts, both at Waters and at the hospital, to help enhance human health and well-being and in the fight against COVID-19. We’re proud to call you our colleague and friend!

Want to learn more about Jenn’s story? She was recently featured on Boston 25 News, check it out!