As of March 21, 2025, MGH鈥檚 main entrance on Coxwell Avenue is closed as the next phase of our redevelopment project begins. Patients and visitors can use the new temporary main entrance on Sammon Avenue between Coxwell Avenue and Knight Street. View our campus map.
Our hospital staff has pulled together in remarkable ways during the COVID-19 pandemic. We asked Tracey Monahan, respiratory therapist, to share her experiences with being redeployed to the COVID-19 Assessment Centre.
Q. What is your day to day role, and how has it changed since your redeployment?
I鈥檓 a respiratory therapist and educator in the chest centre, and my role usually involves things like testing pulmonary function, training patients on things like how to use inhalers and doing blood pressure testing, electrocardiograms (ECGS) and saturation testing. Our clinic here in the chest centre was ramping down due to COVID-19 and my manager asked me if I鈥檇 be willing to be redeployed to the COVID-19 Assessment Centre.
In the first couple of weeks, we largely dealt with 鈥渢he worried well鈥� 鈥� those who thought they had COVID-19 and likely didn鈥檛, but needed some reassurance. But as time went on, we鈥檝e dealt more with heathcare workers or people who tested positive and then needed two negative swabs in order to be able to go back to work.
Especially in the first two and half weeks, it was so busy in the Assessment Centre that I couldn鈥檛 imagine how the emergency department would have been able to survive without it in place. I recently spoke with an emergency doctor who agreed that the clinic served a really important function in diverting patients away from emergency. I think almost 1,200 people came through the centre in the first two weeks.
Q. How did you feel about being redeployed to a new area?
I think healthcare workers have a similar personality type 鈥� under it all we just really want to help people in some way, and that really shines through in this situation. Most people don鈥檛 have an issue with going with the flow 鈥� if they need my skills there, that鈥檚 where I鈥檒l go.
Q. What makes you feel positive about the work you鈥檙e doing at the assessment centre?
Almost every patient who has come in to the Assessment Centre has been so appreciative and thankful. They really look at us as like we鈥檙e soldiers in an invisible war against this virus. They tell us that they appreciate us putting ourselves on the line for them in some way. But I feel safer working here than going to the grocery store!
I had a physician say to me recently how much they appreciate the assessment clinic staff out there doing the swabs; we鈥檙e helping people as one of the first lines of defense against the virus.. That was a really nice acknowledgement. I think people in general are just really grateful that we鈥檙e there, helping them out. I feel a real sense of community. I think that will be one of the biggest things that comes out of this 鈥� that feeling of community and how appreciative of healthcare workers people are.
Because my profession is currently in high demand, I鈥檒l soon be redeployed elsewhere in the hospital. But I鈥檓 really grateful to have had this experience, and have really enjoyed the opportunity to get out of my regular environment and meet some fantastic triage nurses, family doctors, emergency doctors 鈥� they鈥檙e all people I wouldn鈥檛 have otherwise met. And I鈥檓 thankful to have been able to help the community in this way during the pandemic.