Health care heroes: Remarkably resilient team members

Throughout the pandemic, team members across Advocate Aurora Health have stepped up and cared for our communities in countless ways.

In addition to serving in his normal role in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit at Advocate Children’s Hospital, Dr. Travis Matics has been helping his adult colleagues in the Intensive Care Unit at Advocate South Suburban Hospital.

“I and several other physicians from each campus (Drs. Kara Von Zychlin, Vinod Havalad, Deanna Behrens, Amanda Ellis and Rani Ganesan) have been able to lend our hands in the fight,” Dr. Matics says.

“We’ve been privileged to work alongside the incredible ICU staff at Advocate South Suburban Hospital, caring for critically ill adult patients with and without COVID-19 on the south side of Chicago. I’d like to give special recognition to hospitals Drs. Adam Kost, Agop Tepeli and Samantha Hathaway for continually and tirelessly caring for critically ill adults. We’ve helped lead an established multidisciplinary team with the daily management of patients requiring mechanical ventilation, various medications, infusions and antibiotics, dialysis, surgeries and, of course, therapies to combat COVID-19.”

“As physicians with years of subspecialty critical care training and experience, regularly managing older teens and younger adults with complex critical care needs (including congenital heart disease, long-term mechanical ventilation, asthma, cystic fibrosis, and even cancer), we have been grateful to use our skills to help many in need on the south side of Chicago.”

Dr. Matics says he’s realized two important things from this experience.

“Advocate Aurora Health team members are remarkably, remarkably resilient. We’ve had the incredible privilege not only to use our knowledge and skills to save, but also to provide comfort and humanity to our patients at the end of their lives – commonly, unfortunately, without the physical presence of their families during these challenging times.