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COMPASSION CENTRAL TO CUPS NURSES DURING COVID-19

Our amazing nurses at CUPS, have, time and again, shown their unwavering commitment to clients and community while working on the front lines of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

We recognize the extreme stress on Alberta’s health care system. To CUPS nurses who have never stopped working alongside people experiencing poverty, homelessness and trauma in these hard times, thank-you. Upon the onset of COVID-19, our small, yet mighty nursing team quickly figured out safe screening protocols, supported the swabbing process, and were involved in ensuring CUPS could continue to safely see clients in-person.

“We had to, with the very limited information that everybody had back then about COVID, learn how we could safely keep the doors open,” Elaine Wilson, senior director of operations at CUPS, said.

Our nursing and care coordination teams, along with team members from across the organization, worked hard to maintain access for clients at CUPS. When Albertans were first asked to stay home and stay safe, many of our clients — at greater risk of severe health outcomes — couldn’t do so, as they often live at shelters or congregate living facilities. By remaining open and assisting partner shelter agencies through outreach health services, we helped reduce what could have been high transmission rates and severe complications for people.

“Our nurses showed up every day willing to be the very first point of contact for anybody walking in the door,” Wilson said, noting the team supported each other, as well as the whole organization.

Kimberley Tateson, director of health services with CUPS, joined Wilson in sharing gratitude toward the nursing team for their service and ability to consistently provide trauma-informed care.

Our nurses are involved in every aspect of CUPS health services, such as the liver clinic, primary care team, women’s health clinic, outreach team etc., and support shelter partners, clinicians and programs. Wilson said that for many clients, the frontline teams at CUPS are akin to family. She added it’s a privilege when the people CUPS help feel safe in sharing their stories and their lives with our teams.

“I’m proud of the type of nurses they are, the work they do and the respect they show,” Wilson said.

In that CUPS offers integrated client-centred care, we move people who are in complex situations toward self-sufficiency by getting to the root causes of challenges these people wish to overcome. This includes wraparound support to our clients, who are able to access a wide variety of programs and services at CUPS, as well as sector partners.

Together, we work holistically to increase access to services and improve health outcomes for people in need.