KANSAS CITY, Mo. — It's been weeks since many health care workers around the country have been able to go home to their families after work.
Lauren Gremillion, a registered nurse at IVX Health in Kansas City, Missouri, said she hasn't been able to spend time with most of her family in person amid the COVID-19 outbreak.
Gremillion provides IV therapy to some of the most at risk patients at IVX Health.
On average, she's working 10-hour shifts and seeing more patients than normal.
Gremillion said that hospitals throughout the Kansas City area are sending patients to her facility for treatment to keep them out of hospitals, where they are treating COVID-19 patients.
Working at an outpatient facility, Gremillion said she's been able to go home to her husband for the time being, but hasn't been in contact with any other family members.
“If my other family members felt comfortable seeing me then they probably could, but I don’t feel comfortable with them seeing me just because I am in health care and can’t stay six feet away like you should be." Gremillion said. "My husband makes me take off my shoes, jacket, wash my hands, take a shower before I touch anything anyway, which is smart because you just never know what you bring home."
Gremillion said other nurses aren't able to go home to their families at all right now. She said the protocol depends on where they're working and to what they've potentially been exposed.
Some nurses haven't seen their families in weeks and are unsure when they'll be able to reunite.
