By Mary O’KEEFE

Recently USC Verdugo Hills Hospital held an Honor, Remember, Heal ceremony in the Sue and Steve Wilder Healing Garden. The garden is a place where staff can take time to slow down from their hectic schedules and reflect. The idea for this garden came from Bridget Berg, USC-VHH program manager of patient experience. She and another member of the patient experience committee conceived the idea of having a place where the staff could just take a moment to slow down in their very busy day.

It has been a little over a year since COVID-19 patients began to fill hospitals throughout the nation.

“We at [USC-VHH] have gone through a lot, as has the rest of the country, and this [garden] was [installed] to remember, reflect and honor those we have lost, those who have suffered through this pandemic and for the staff of the hospital as a whole,” said Dr. Rajiv Philip of USC-VHH intensivist.

An intensivist is a physician who provides care for critically ill patients. Throughout the pandemic he has dealt with the most seriously ill patients.

“We all seemed to love the garden. It was good to hear people talk about what they have experienced, so I think all-in-all it is great,” he said.

The ceremony was held last week. People could bring white roses that were placed in the garden as a symbol of remembrance of what they have gone through during the pandemic. There were also rocks with words of hope and inspiration, Berg said.

“We recognized the lives that were lost and the dedication of the Verdugo Hills Hospital team,” Berg added.

The medical staff has been at work since the beginning of the pandemic and for many there is a feeling of isolation as they care for patients alone, without those patients’ families allowed in the hospital.

Philip said one of the most difficult and challenging things the staff has had to deal with is the virus itself.

“We still don’t have great treatments for [COVID-19]. Therapeutics have improved over the course of the year but we still don’t have solid evidence-based or proven treatments,” he said.

Adding that although most of the treatments are supportive there are still patients for whom those treatments still don’t work.

“[It is discouraging] to see there are some [patients] who don’t improve despite what we have tried to do. They are not able to spend time with their family, and we are not able to spend [a lot] of time with them because it has been so busy and overwhelming … Then to see them succumb and pass away despite whatever we tried, that is the most challenging part of [this],” Philip said.

He added it has been very disheartening for him and the staff when patients want to communicate with their family but, due to COVID-19 restrictions, family and friends cannot be in the hospital. This is difficult not just for those at VHH but also for those in hospitals throughout the country.

“To not be able to have their family be at their bedside to talk to them and hold their hand, and then to see them pass away a few days [later] – it has been very distressful,” he added.

He added that he and the staff know there is nothing else they could do, nor do they object to the protective actions of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The precautions taken were done to protect not only the patients and their families but also the medical staff; however, just because they logically understand why the restrictions were put into place it does not lessen the personal toll and sense of responsibility.

When Berg first shared the idea of the garden event, one of the people she approached began to tear up. This reaction showed her how important it was for the staff to have an outlet for this most difficult year.

Although it was a one-day event, the garden will continue to house an area of remembrance that will include a plaque that reads “Honor Remember and Heal March 16, 2021. Recognizing the lives that were lost and the dedication of the VH Hospital Team.”

“I think it will be a place of remembrance and solace outside the hospital walls,” Berg said. “It will definitely help to take that moment and to get a breath of fresh air.”