Health care heroes: Embracing change

Every day life has changed for everybody, and that’s especially true for Jess Herr and the perioperative services team at Aurora Medical Center in Kenosha, WI.

As team manager, Herr has met the challenge thrown their way by the COVID-19 pandemic. Normally, she and her team help guide patients through surgery. Now, they have selflessly shifted to the fight against the deadly virus.

For Herr, that means assessing the strengths of her members, monitoring where additional medical staff are needed and redeploying them to other units. With her team now spread across the emergency, intensive care and inpatient units, Herr has earned the trust of her team, peers and leaders.

“Jess is a creative, forward-thinking and extremely logical strategist who has the unique ability to see the forest through the trees. Her assertive and tenacious approach to problem solving is well-balanced by learned pragmatism and consummate professionalism,” said Jennifer Maggio, director of surgical services.

To her team, it’s her care and compassion that shines through with patients and staff members alike.

“Jess’ proactive approach has not gone unnoticed and is paramount to our wellbeing and the success of managing this pandemic,” said team member April Soto.

With a constantly changing situation and a battle against a relatively unknown virus, Herr says that she and her team will continue to meet the challenge and do whatever needs to be done to help save lives in a different way.

“I feel that we are all in this together. We are all doing everything that we can working on the front line to make it through this difficult time,” said Herr.