ON THE FRONTLINES OF COVID-19, a documentary short
This short independent documentary by Kazbar Media provides an inside look at a makeshift field hospital built on a soccer field in Shoreline, WA. The temporary structure was built to provide free coronavirus treatment to those who were either homeless or otherwise without access to healthcare.
At the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic reaching the United States, Washington State became the first hot spot in the country with known cases of the novel coronavirus. Washington State has one of the lowest numbers of hospital beds per capita in the country, i.e. 1.7 beds per 1000 people (1999-2018 AHA Annual Report). Only Oregon has less.
Faced with the prospect of dramatically rising coronavirus cases in the state, Public Health Seattle and King County looked for ways to alleviate the projected load on local hospitals. The Shoreline facility, called the Shoreline Assessment Center and Recovery Center (ACRC), was one of the first temporary structures in the country, built specifically to provide free treat to coronavirus patients. The shoreline ACRC provided free testing and treatment to those who were either homeless or otherwise without access to healthcare.
The Shoreline ACRC, a temporary field hospital to treat coronavirus patients was built on a soccer field in Shoreline, WA.
Leading the efforts onsite, was Jennifer Graves, RN. MS., and the Regional Chief Nurse for Kaiser Permanente Washington. “I don’t think we should turn away from people who are most in need of our care,” Graves says. “I became a nurse because it’s my calling.” The ACRC was staffed by clinical staff from Kaiser Permanente Washington. “The staff who are here, volunteer [to serve at the COVID-19 facility],” Graves said. “This isn’t normally what they would be doing and for some people, it might be scary.” Graves herself is a cancer survivor. “I go in just like everyone else,” she said. “This feels right.”
“Everyone who goes into the tent is in full PPE,” Graves said. The PPE or Personal Protective Equipment consists of: “Two sets of gloves, because we treat one set of gloves on the lower half like it’s your skin. So we have two sets of gloves, a full gown, a mask, and we also provide a full head or face shield so that all of the mucous membranes on the face so eyes, nose, mouth are completely covered.”
The large two-tent structure was equipped with necessities and comforts to accommodate the more than 140 patients it was built to house. Patients were encouraged to stay there through the prescribed two-week isolation period for those recovering from coronavirus.
The Shoreline ACRC was a feat of public, private, and non-profit organizations coming together to tackle the pandemic in their community and provide free healthcare to those most in need.
Watch the documentary short above or on YouTube:
On the Frontlines of COVID-19
Produced by: Kazbar Media
Director/Producer: Laila Kazmi
Cinematographer: Jeremiah Kaynor, Corvus Eye Media
Editor: Laila Kazmi
Sound Mix: Steve Barsotti
Music: Spirit Production Music
Additional Footage and Photos: Jordan Iverson; Public Health Seattle & King County; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
