When we “move up” from elementary school to middle school, we are asked what we want to be when we grow up. The responses range from professional sports players, zookeeper, chef, singer, etc. And when we graduate high school, we normally have a better idea in our head of what life will look like five years down the road. For two Greeley grads, their fourth grade career goals and five year plans definitely did not include being essential workers in a hospital during a time of a national pandemic, but life throws curve balls at us like that sometimes.
Allison Schachter and Peter Inglis are both Greeley grads (2013 and 2010 respectively) and are current medical students at Albany Medical College in upstate New York. While Schachter always had the intention of becoming a doctor, Inglis went to undergrad initially for engineering and later switched into a pre-med program.
At the beginning of the pandemic, the hospital began to limit the amount of medical students who could scrub into the OR, due to the fact that the PPE, or Personal Protective Equipment was needed elsewhere. Shortly after, both students were sent an email stating that they would no longer be able to return to the hospital for rounds, to collect their things and to go home. This was not only disheartening but raised concern for it was almost time for the students to apply and declare what they wanted to specialize in – how were they supposed to truly know what they wanted to do for the rest of their lives if they wouldn’t have the final chances to try it out?
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That’s where the Compassion Coalition comes into play. It was started by Dr. Jackcy Jacob, one of the hospitalists in Albany, and further continued by a group of eight student volunteers, such as Schachter and Inglis, with more students now signing on. It satisfies the need to connect patients with their families outside of the hospital and make those outside feel less helpless by connecting them via iPads. And even though the students weren’t technically allowed in the hospital for their rounds, they could still volunteer to do this.
“We are filling a need that isn’t being fulfilled in the hospital. That’s what kind of made it allowed, is that we are of need, like an essential worker if you want to call it that,” Schachter said.
As time has gone on, they have been able to recruit more and more students to join.
“I think what’s unique about this group specifically is that…we don’t get grades for it, we don’t get extra credit for it…everyone sort of took their own initiative to do it,” Inglis added.
So, how does it work?
Between the day shifts and the night shifts, there is essentially a list that gets passed on, containing information such as patient credentials, family members who want to be contacted, call time preference and frequency of the calls.
The volunteers, like Schachter and Inglis are not allowed to go into the patient’s room to prevent spread of the disease and outside contact. Their job is to essentially set up the call.
Schachter explains: “When that nurse is putting on their PPE to go into the room, that’s when we coordinate the calls. So we’ll grab the iPad, call the family, have them on Facetime, so we’re the ones who start the conversation.”
And don’t worry, the iPads have their own set of PPE gear (more like a tight plastic bag) that they “wear” before going into the rooms too. Once the nurses and the iPads have their gear on, that is when they can enter the room to conduct the calls.
These calls are available for all patients, regardless of their condition, it’s just up to the family members.
“Often time in the ICU, the patients are intubated, which means they are not really communicative…Usually we encourage families to nonetheless say what they want to say, having the videochat portion of it definitely gives them a chance to see the patient, which is nice,” Schachter said.
For those who do wish to still have the call, they will just spend the time talking to their loved one. One family even performed a concert for their family member that went on for three hours! Now that, that is love.
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Thankfully, they haven’t seen any shortages of the iPads themselves. They were actually part of a big donation. If anything, it’s the stands that they place them on.
In terms of what Schachter and Inglis would want people to know about COVID-19? It is affecting more age groups than you would think, and perfectly healthy people can be fine one day and pass away the next.
Their main takeaway is that social distancing is extremely important, and that some people are looking at this as if they are part of a demographic that is untouchable.
“People are approaching social distancing not very altruistically…The reality of social distancing isn’t to look out for #1, to lookout for #2, right? Because you as an asymptomatic carrier have the potential to make somebody else who is vulnerable to the virus very very sick,” Inglis explained.
While the Compassion Coalition helps serve the patients, it’s arguably more about the family members who not only can’t be with them to help care for them, but sometimes don’t even know where they are due to the fact that so many patients have been transferred all over the state.
“Most of our patients that we are treating in Albany are not from Albany County. They have been transferred to us from NYC, from Queens, that region because that’s the part of New York that’s been hit hardest by the virus…by us having the ability to settle their ease to show them that their family member is in fact really good care…as they’re on the phone with us they see their surroundings and they can experience how much care we are giving to their family members,” Schachter said.
She also said this which encompasses the entire initiative:
“Families really need to be involved in their loved one’s care. It’s so important to how humanity functions.”
With the onset of the COVID-19 outbreak, families all across the country have been quarantined in their houses, unable to leave. As a result, they are not able to receive some of the basic supplies previously available to them, including toilet paper, soap or disinfectant spray. However, the town of New Castle has recognized the urgent need for many of the community members, and spearheaded “The New Castle Volunteer Match” on Facebook to alleviate many of the pressures at home and personal challenges caused by the coronavirus.
New Castle is proud to note that many residents remain in the community long after the kids have ‘grown and flown.’ The Recreation and Parks Department oversees senior programming to help promote and enhance the quality of life of adults 60 years and over living in the community. Recreation programs, fitness classes and a comprehensive array of supportive services are offered regularly, and encourage both continued independence and involvement in community life. Popular classes at the New Castle Senior Center on Senter Street include artistic pursuits like Watercolor & Drawing and Passport to Active Living daily workouts. Games such as Bridge, Mah Jongg and Poker are another great way to socialize and have fun, and all ability levels are welcome. Music-loving seniors appreciate the free Open Rehearsals of the Chappaqua Orchestra. Lectures, also free, cover topics as far-ranging as classical music to health and fitness. There is even a weekly Pizza ‘n Cinema meet-up featuring vintage and classic films. Senior transportation is available and affordable, and the Senior Watch, a voluntary program open to all, offers peace of mind to those who may not have family or friends available on a regular basis. Further information including the Senter Street Spotlight bi-monthly newsletter: 
Summer is everyone’s favorite season. Longer days, sunshine and warmth, and lots of great outdoor activities make for very happy campers–figuratively, but also literally. New Castle Town Camps are the very definition of happy kid campers. Open to all town recreation residents, there are camp groups for all ages: Tot Camp, designed with young three to five year old children in mind, offers half-day enrollment. Camp Adventure, loaded with fun activities for first through fourth graders, meets at Bell Middle School but includes off-site activities like field trips as well. On-the-Go Camp, for fifth through eighth graders, offers exciting daily excursions to all kinds of kid-approved fun destinations; and the C.I.T program for ninth and tenth graders prepares young teens to move from camper to counselor. There is also a Summer at the Art Center camp for children aged four through seven with a special interest in art. 
