Hannah Osborne of Jefferson Township has been working as a nurse in the COVID unit of the Butler Memorial Hospital since the pandemic started in March.

They start their days in scrubs and surgical masks, moving sure-footed down the halls of Butler Memorial Hospital.

The masks are required to move around anywhere in the hospital — no matter when their shifts start: early morning, late in the afternoon or long after the sun has crept below the horizon.

Even before coffee, nurses at Butler Memorial conduct a changing of the guard, relieving their weary outgoing co-workers.

In these moments, the nurses exchange information about patients, but for COVID-19 patients even the slightest detail needs extra attention.

Nurse Stacey Vensel has been assigned to the COVID-19 unit in the Tower, a specialized wing of the hospital nestled in the city.

“With these patients, they can come in and seem fine,” Vensel said. “One moment, they're on room air, and a couple hours later, they're needing a couple liters of oxygen.”

The worst of these COVID-19 patients fight harder for shorter breaths. They come in all sizes, ages and existing health conditions, and there is often a fear in their eyes, one Vensel says she tries to abate with calm words and sure work.

This is an excerpt from a larger article that appears in Tuesday's Butler Eagle. Subscribe online or in print to read the full article to read about local nurses experiences working with COVID patients.