Your Health. Our Heroes: LCRH Patient Access
July 3, 2020
In this series, we're introducing the community to some of Lake Cumberland Regional Hospital's Heroes.
We hope you enjoy getting to know them and learning more about those that are dedicated to providing the high-quality care that you know and trust.
TODAY'S FEATURED HEROES:
Brandon Hughes, Director of Patient Access & the LCRH Patient Access Team
Q: What is the name of your department at Lake Cumberland
A: Patient Access.
Q: Collectively, how long have those in your department worked at LCRH?
A: My staff has a collective 284 years of service to LCRH and our community.
Q: What would you guys be doing if you weren't working in healthcare?
A: I spent several years in retail management prior to my career in healthcare. My employees have various career backgrounds. I have an employee who helped run a hotel chain, one who worked for Disney World, one who was a controller for a major plant in Atlanta, a few from retail, a few from manufacturing, and the list goes on and on. I’m very proud to have a diverse staff from different backgrounds with unique passions and interests. I have had several employees discover their passion for the nursing field while working in our department, and many have gone on to be RNs.
Q: How has your day-to-day changed since the coronavirus pandemic?
A: Things definitely slowed down for us at the onset of COVID-19. As our facility followed the governor’s guidance to preserve our healthcare capacity, we saw a major decrease in our patient volume. This was definitely an adjustment for my staff, as we are accustomed to working between 300 and 400 patient accounts daily across all areas. As restrictions are being lifted, we are seeing a gradual but steady return to normal. Many of the patients we interacted with at the height of the pandemic expressed fear or concern with whether they had contracted COVID-19, and I witnessed my staff express tremendous empathy and compassion for those patients in the face of the unknown.
Q: What's saving your life right now?
A: Working in healthcare during a pandemic does take an emotional toll on a person. Even in non-clinical positions, it isn’t possible to “tune out” what’s happening because we’re surrounded by it on a daily basis. I can say with utmost certainty that my faith and my family have been the bedrock of my well-being during this tumultuous year. My wife, Bethany and my daughter, Autumn build me up when I’m feeling down, cheer me on when I’m uneasy, and give me hope during troubled times by displaying love and compassion to all they meet. I’m blessed to have them in my life.