‘Faith over fear’
Health care heroes at Holy Angels were honored the week of April 27. (Photos provided by Holy Angels) BELMONT — Protecting the most vulnerable people among us is at the core of Holy Angels’ mission. Day in, day out, the staff gives tirelessly of themselves in this long-term residential program to care for children and adults who have delicate medical conditions.
Contracting COVID-19 could prove fatal for any one of Holy Angels’ residents.
“So far, Holy Angels has not had any cases of COVID-19, with residents and staff,” says Regina Moody, Holy Angels’ president and CEO. “We live each day in ‘faith over fear.’ We follow the CDC guidelines as well as the North Carolina mandates. This has been difficult, especially for our families who are unable to visit,” she adds.
Holy Angels’ staff have kept up residents’ daily routines and helped comfort them since the pandemic began and visitors were barred from health care facilities in North Carolina. Staff are using Facetime and other video conferencing tools to help residents communicate with their loved ones during pandemic.
Charli Somers, SCR program director, says, “It is important for me to continue coming to work for our residents. They are not able to go elsewhere, so I feel it is important for us to show up for them, to ensure they aren’t feeling uneasy or scared but instead feel nothing but love during these strange times.”
Somers knows it is difficult for residents not to see their families, “and while we cannot replace their family, we sure are trying to keep them engaged and happy! It is so important that during these times we maintain the highest level of normalcy that we can, even if only between the walls of Holy Angels.”
Care providers at Holy Angels, these everyday heroes, have increased the protective measures and equipment they are using to keep residents healthy while the novel coronavirus remains a health threat.
Staff are using personal protective equipment while caring for residents and they are taking precautions in their off hours, staying away from their own loved ones in some instances so they don’t accidentally bring COVID-19 in to Holy Angels.
Fannie Rendlemen, a clinical secretary and health care technician who has served at Holy Angels for the past 36 years, is doing her part to keep residents safe.
“I have taken precautions such as wearing my mask outside Holy Angels,” she says. “I limit where I go. I haven’t seen my granddaughter in person since the Angel Bowl (March 7). I’m just trying to be very cautious. I don’t want to bring anything back to the residents.”
April 27 marked 50 days since the quarantine began at Holy Angels, so to acknowledge the heroic efforts of the staff, management and local authorities honored the health care heroes.
“We felt this was a time to celebrate all of our staff who work tirelessly to support our residents,” Moody says. “Our local police and fire department came and welcomed the staff early that morning and again in afternoon for the second shift. It was very nice and moving.”
“We are grateful to the City of Belmont and the first responders (who came out). They are really supportive of Holy Angels and we are grateful they came here. It was a beautiful day,” she says.
During that week, Holy Angels gave their staff “Everyday Heroes” T-shirts, heroes Hershey bars and personalized face masks to say thank you.
The increased need for protective measures and equipment at Holy Angels means that costs associated with residents’ care have mounted during a time when donations have dwindled and fundraising events have had to be canceled.
Holy Angels has also had to temporarily close the businesses and programs that fund its mission, including The Cherub Café, Cotton Candy Factory, Bliss Gallery, Spruced Goose Station and more.
“Our loss of revenue from programs, businesses and reduction/cancellation of fundraisers has resulted in a $1.2 million shortfall,” Moody says.
Moody expects increased costs for personal protective equipment and cleaning services going forward, which will add to Holy Angels’ financial needs.
“We are using much more PPE than we ever have,” she explains. “That need is going to be a constant for us. Additional precautions have ramped up our cleaning costs considerably.”
Holy Angels has also redeployed people in some of its businesses to environmental services to assist in critical care services for residents.
“Our goal is to keep people working,” Moody says.
“During the COVID-19 pandemic, it is extremely important to ensure we are taking all of the appropriate precautions to prevent residents from getting sick,” says Ashley Brown, special education teacher.
Brown emphasizes, “Their lives depend entirely on the staff caring for them and protecting them from harm. Unlike other jobs, Holy Angels does not close down. The kids’ lives continue, so it’s not a profession that can stop during a crisis. The job still needs to be done every hour of the day.”
— SueAnn Howell, senior reporter
Help Holy Angels
Holy Angels depends partly on donations to provide the highest quality care for children and adults with delicate medical conditions.
The Holy Angels Foundation is a private, nonprofit corporation and sponsored ministry of the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas, South Central Community.
To donate to Holy Angels, visit the website at www.HolyAngelsNC.org. Donations can also be mailed to: Holy Angels, P.O. Box 710, 6600 Wilkinson Blvd., Belmont, N.C. 28012. Questions? Call 704-825-4161.