Kathy Nottell retired five years ago after spending 28 years as a nurse at Kent County Memorial Hospital. The Warwick resident spent most of that time working in the emergency department. Nottell recently signed up to work, if need be, at Care New England Health System’s Kent Field Hospital on Sockanosset Cross Road in Cranston.
The facility was set up under Gov. Gina M. Raimondo’s direction to help care for an anticipated surge in COVID-19 patients. Although the field hospital has not been called into service, Nottell discusses her decision to come out of retirement to serve on the front lines of Rhode Island’s battle against COVID-19.
PBN: Kent’s field hospital in Cranston hasn’t yet been called into use – have you been back to work in any other capacity during the coronavirus crisis?
NOTTELL: No, I have not been back [for the coronavirus crisis], but after I retired I joined and trained with the Rhode Island Critical Stress Management team, which is a peer support method of caring for first responders and health care workers during a particularly difficult event. This is valuable for those that do this kind of work and continue to be active with this work.
Other crisis situations, such as Sept. 11, 2001, and The Station nightclub fire, have changed all of us, but the COVID-19 health care crisis is something that has shaken everything we know. Our lives will change following this.
PBN: What made you decide to volunteer to go back onto the front lines of care for COVID-19 patients, especially knowing that doing so could expose you to the virus?
NOTTELL: I’m fortunate that I am healthy and I am a nurse. I think we all should be useful in any way we can. The first time I stepped into Kent Hospital, I was 15 years old and I volunteered as a candy striper. I served dinner trays to the patients and loved every minute of it.
After marrying and having three children, I completed my EMT training and volunteered on my town’s fire department for seven years. I fulfilled a childhood dream at age 31 and completed nursing school in 1986.
Most of my career was spent on cardiac care and emergency nursing with my last five years as a nurse in the Kent Infusion Unit. When I retired, I jumped into helping with the multiplying grandchildren. My daughters all are professional women and work full time.
When I realized that this virus will totally affect the United States, I knew that everyone that was able had to jump in. I will remain available, if needed, while this crisis is ongoing. I think most citizens can and will help one another in some way.
PBN: If the state’s surge in COVID-19 cases comes unexpectedly, do you still expect to volunteer?
NOTTELL: Yes, I would be available for the surge.
PBN: As a longtime nurse in Rhode Island, are you familiar with any others who signed up to volunteer to return to health care? What was it that prompted people of retirement age, who are at higher risk of falling seriously ill from COVID-19, to work on the front lines?
NOTTELL: While I do not know any others personally, one of my favorite quotes that I often refer to is: “The purpose of life is not to be happy; it’s to be useful, to be honorable, to be compassionate, to have it make a difference that you have lived well.” That is by Ralph Waldo Emerson.
PBN: What was your biggest concern as COVID-19 entered Rhode Island? Did you ever fear that hospitals here would not be able to handle a large wave of patients?
NOTTELL: My biggest concern would be if this affected the kids or young adults that are raising their families. I know that R.I. Disaster Preparedness is top notch, so I did not have fears about this crisis. We have a brilliant woman in charge of the state.
Elizabeth Graham is a PBN contributing writer.
