When the pandemic first stuck back in March across the United States, healthcare workers and first responders did all they could to prepare for the unimaginable effects that were about to take place due to COVID-19.

In Pecos County, PCMH Chief Nursing Officer Malia Granado has played a vital role in the fight against the virus, working seven days a week and up to 14 hours a day for a majority of the time since the pandemic began.

This week’s Pecos County People feature is to not only detail Granado’s story through the pandemic and commend her for the sacrifice she has made, but for all the healthcare workers and first responders across the county who have helped fight COVID-19.

GRANADO’S JOURNEY AS A HEALTHCARE WORKER THROUGH THE PANDEMIC

In March, the news first broke that COVID-19 was spreading with little known about the virus at the time. The country began to get shutdown, from schools to businesses to sporting events.

For Granado, a bit of nerves set in as the unknown left the Fort Stockton native thinking about how Pecos County Memorial Hospital would handle the virus.

“I was a little nervous for our hospital, not sure what to expect;’ she said.

The 2001 Fort Stockton High School graduate quickly went from thinking and feeling a little nervous about COVID-19 to forming an action plan to prepare PCMH for what lied ahead with a goal in mind.

“I think I just did it. I don’t even have a mental process. I just go. That’s just what I’m used to doing,” she said. “My goal in all of that was just to make sure our nurses were educated enough to figure out what we’re doing to take care of these patients.”

The Midland College graduate met and talked with Pecos County Emergency Management Coordinator Jessie Dominguez, all the nurses and doctors at the facility, as well as the administration to discuss preparation before the virus could reach Pecos County.

“I deal directly with Jessie Dominguez for the county. With his stuff, we went over everything medically with our nurses, with our doctors,” Granado said. “We met probably twice a week for that first couple of months. Just trying to make sure everyone knew what to expect.”

Testing locations and transforming parts of the PCMH facility to hold COVID-19 patients soon followed. To find the ideal testing locations it took multiple trials before the current system in place was settled.

As for housing COVID-19 patients, two rooms evolved into shutting off a complete hall and a half of the hospital for those who are hospitalized with the virus.

PCMH can now hold 12 COVID-19 patients compared to just two when towards the beginning of the pandemic.

PCMH CEO Betsy Briscoe gives the CNO of the hospital a lot of credit when it comes being able to adapt and evolve on the fly with constant change due to the Coronavirus.

Briscoe stated that the organizational skills needed to perform Granado’s job well during an unprecedented pandemic is extraordinary to say the least.

“She’s been on top of it all the way around and dealt with it from all angles when it comes to patient care. She’s really took the lead as far as the testing when it first came around. She got it all set up in the beginning when the testing came out,” Briscoe said.

“Then coordinating between the clinics. Then of course have the vaccines in order. Just coordinating transfers out and admissions back. Then making sure we have the supplies, equipment, setup to take care of these COVID patients when they came back She put in the request for FEMA nurses and respiratory therapists. Malia has done a great job coordinating patient care during COVID. We are happy to have her on our PCMH team!”

As the pandemic continued on, PCMH was hit the hardest with the virus when the COVID-19 hall went over max capacity, reaching 14 patients due to the inability to transfer patients out since hospitals across the state were full in December.

The period of time weighed the hardest on Granado as she many people below the age of 50, including people she knew, suffer greatly from the virus.

“I hate to see people come in here extremely sick. That really weighs on me, especially the younger ones that we’ve had who are really, really sick. We don’t understand it. I hate to see that. I can’t understand it,” she said. “Those are the ones that bother me the most. I have had three friends so far in their 40’s, we went to high school together, just extremely ill and they’re normally really healthy people.”

The fight doesn’t stop for Granado when see leaves the hospital every day. The Pecos County native has two daughters, Zoriah, 17, and Zeandra, 11, who are both asthmatic.

Whenever the CNO comes oversees patients at the facility, she takes extra precautions to ensure her kids’ safety. “At the beginning of the pandemic I was extremely cautious. I changed outside on our back porch and went in and showered immediately. We did all that. Now that its progressed, if I’m in patients rooms I make sure before I get in the house I take shoes off and change everything, just to make sure it doesn’t get into my house with my kids,” Granado said.

Moving forward the Fort Stockton native knows the battle with the virus is long from over, but there is optimism with the vaccine being administered and active case numbers dropping in the county this month.

“Of course it’s not going to stop COVID but it’s going to put a little damper in it for the hospitals. Once it gets bad and overwhelms the hospitals it’s hard to keep up,” she said.

And most importantly, Granado knows that her co-workers, colleagues, and her will step up to the challenge, no matter what COVID-19 throws there way next.

“Our hospital, we’re not co-workers, we’re family. We just do everything together. We don’t really have any issues,” she said. “All of our nurses are here for the right reason. We work, we’re here to take care of the patients. Doctors same thing. We have a great team here at PCMH.”