Mission Critical

by KIMBERLY OLSON

Sandra and Clint Kaminski had their first date on October 23, 1998, as students in Seton Hall’s Physician Assistant program. They saw There’s Something About Mary and then headed to a diner, where they chatted until 2 a.m. Two decades later, the couple — now married — work together on the front lines of the pandemic, as part of the Infectious Diseases team at the VA New Jersey Health Care System (VANJHCS), East Orange campus, in East Orange, New Jersey.

Sandra, who started her career in private primary care, has been working at the VANJHCS since 2003 — except for a five-year hiatus spent as a SHMS faculty member. Then in 2015, Clint was recruited by Sandra’s supervisor. Clint had previously worked in a private practice in gastrointestinal medicine, transplant hepatology and dermatology, as well as in orthopedics at the VANJHCS. “A great thing about our profession is we can move around to different areas,” Sandra says.

In spring, as the pandemic hit, the Kaminskis shifted from their regular duties to screening veterans for COVID-19. Eventually, Sandra focused on testing patients. “They set up an isolation tent outside the building,” she says. “We had N95 and HAZMAT suits and did nasal swabs.” The testing team eventually worked directly in the ER. As the pandemic peaked, the VANJHCS accepted overflow non-veteran patients from East Orange General Hospital as well.

Work teams split up to reduce the likelihood of the entire team simultaneously contracting the virus. “Two of us would be working from home and one would work here, to keep everything diversified,” Clint explains.

Clint and Sandra also conduct follow-ups with patients quarantined at home. “We would do the visit via telephone, like a regular followup,” Sandra says. “Then we got a little bit fancier with telehealth, doing it with video.”

They follow up with patients to track their symptoms and answer questions. “We need to ensure that the patients are stable and don’t need to come to the emergency room,” Sandra says. “We ensure that they can take care of themselves and educate them on diminishing exposure to others.” The follow-up might be as simple as making sure they continue taking their temperature daily, washing their hands and cleaning surfaces, to offering more advanced instructions if they are symptomatic, such as providing dosages of antipyretic or anti-emetic medications.

In this work, the Kaminskis fulfill the VA’s “Fourth Mission” to improve the nation’s preparedness for war, terrorism and national disasters by providing service to our veterans. The VA’s culture is also guided by its “I CARE” core values of integrity, commitment, advocacy, respect and excellence. Those values dovetail with the mission they absorbed at Seton Hall, to become servant leaders in their profession and community. “It’s an honor to treat [veterans],” Clint says. “They’re grateful, but I’m more grateful.” That spirit of caring has passed down to the couple’s young daughter, who made pictures for the veterans with her Girl Scout troop.

“Most are elderly and not as tech-savvy as the 20- or 30-year-old veterans, so there’s a lot of education [we provide] on diet and things,” Sandra adds. “You really develop a relationship, and get to know about their families, where they live and their hobbies. These are the people who fought for our country, and you’re helping to keep them fit and readjust to society.”

Clint and Sandra have endured stress, long hours and fears of inadvertently passing the virus to their daughter or parents. But while many consider them heroes, they say they’re simply doing their job. “In most professions, people run away from chaos,” says Sandra. “Our job is to run towards it. Seton Hall instilled that in us.”

When asked for advice for healthcare providers about to join the fight, Clint says, “Don’t be afraid to ask questions. Take a deep breath, keep calm and stick to what you learned. Do right by your patients.” ■