“From Green Bay to Park Ridge, we are one,” said Danielle Cervantes, registered nurse for Advocate Aurora Health who answered the call for nurses to help out during the COVID-19 surge in Green Bay.
When the staffing effectiveness team at Advocate Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge, Illinois asked a pool of float nurses to relieve staffing needs at Aurora BayCare Medical Center, the response was overwhelming.
Cervantes was one of many Illinois-based Advocate Aurora Health nurses who stepped up to help.
“As a mother, I raise my children to understand that if you can help, you have to help,” she said. “It was a no-brainer for me.”
Cervantes, who has two young children, quickly arranged child care for her son and daughter before driving hours north from her home in Parkridge, Illinois to help out fellow Advocate Aurora team members when they needed it most.
After three 12-hour shifts at her home unit, she spent four days in Green Bay. Following Illinois’ spring surge, she was confident in her abilities to handle high volumes of COVID patients and wanted to share her knowledge.
When she arrived, she found her skills were needed on a different unit. Still, she says it was an opportunity to learn and connect with fellow nurses.
“The nurses in Green Bay taught me more than I could have ever taught them. They were accommodating, gracious and never made us feel out of place,” she said. “The entire experience speaks to the culture that our system has instilled in us. From Green Bay to Park Ridge, we are one.”
