2020 Report to our Communities

A personal COVID story
THE RIGHT CARE. THE RIGHT PLACE. THE RIGHT TIME.
-presented by Sandy and Dave Harmelink
We traveled to Arkansas, Des Moines, and Branson,
Missouri, the first week of March. COVID was just
starting to be an issue in the Midwest at that
time so when we got home, we decided to stay
home as much as possible. There was a middle
school and high school concert on March 12 that
we went to. Just a few days after that, schools
closed, including Northwestern College. We hosted
a student from Northwestern. She and one of her
friends needed a ride to the airport, so on March
17 we drove them to Omaha. We never left the
house after that. We both started having
symptoms the weekend of March 21, including
headaches, body aches, and fatigue.
The symptoms just kept piling on – no appetite,
intestinal issues, and Dave started showing signs
of confusion and was sleeping most of the time.
Our daughters and their families would visit us at
the family room window. We must not have
looked very good because they were getting
concerned. Dave was seen by doctors a couple
of times and was tested for COVID on March 30
– when he was also admitted to the hospital.
Sandy was sure she would be able to stay home so she could help care for Dave when he got home, but she was tested on
April 2 and needed to be hospitalized as well. Both of us were just plain miserable, terribly fatigued, and weak. Dave spent
five days in the Orange City Area Health System hospital, and Sandy a week.
We were #2 and #3 positive COVID cases in the area. Very little was known at the time about the virus. However, we cannot
say enough good about the compassionate care we received from Doctors Van De Griend, Hanson, Weber, and Laird in the
clinic, ER, and hospital – and also so many nurses and lab and X-ray techs. We would not want to miss any by naming them!
We were so concerned about them getting the virus, but they assured us they were taking all the necessary precautions for
their safety as well as ours and the rest of the hospital staff. After they had all their protective gear on, they looked like
people from the Twilight Zone! Dave had a nurse pray with him, and one afternoon Sandy had a sweet nurse come in and
share the scripture she had read in her quiet time. Both were very comforting and calming for each of us. After our discharge,
Dr. Weber followed up with video clinic visits. That was a great way for him to check up on us – and for us to ask questions
without having to go to the clinic.
We would also like to thank the Incident Command Team and hospital leadership. We learned later about the Incident
Command Team, who spent so many long hours gathering information, which was changing all the time, to help prepare the
entire staff in how to care for the COVID patients and keep the hospital itself safe from the virus.
We are so grateful for Orange City Area Health System!
“Absoutely a great experience from the nurses, doctors, anesthesiologist, and kitchen staff.
This will always be our hospital of choice. We were well respected by everyone.” From June patient surveys