The CV Team and COVID-19: Lessons From the Frontlines

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The COVID-19 pandemic has had a ripple effect across the globe and impacted our professional and personal lives. On one hand, the negative impact of the virus is very apparent.

However, there is a silver lining in how it has pulled communities together. Our community, which was already close, has been drawn closer as the need for support has never been greater. Thus, the ACC and the Cardiovascular Team Section have been working to devise resources to support our membership.

These resources include articles, blogs, podcast, webinars and more. The ACC CV Team Section presented its first webinar in early May titled, "The CV Team and COVID-19: Lessons From the Frontlines."

The webinar was hosted by Maria Spinelli, NP, AACC; Carla Weidner, DNP, AACC; and me. As the planning committee, we engaged ACC CV Team members from the country's hotspots to provide insight to their challenges, successes, and tips and tricks.

Our esteemed panel included Jennifer Shaw, MSN, NEA-BC, AGPCNP-BC, RN-BC, patient care director from New York Presbyterian-Weill-Cornell; Katie Aymond, BCPS, BCCP, cardiovascular clinical pharmacist and clinical assistant professor at the University of Louisana at Monroe/LSU; and Michael Querijero MS-PAC, director of operations and program development with the Structural Heart Disease Program at New York Langone Medical Center.

Our program began with Shaw, who provided an overview on how it was a team effort to convert her unit into a dedicated COVID-19. She was followed by Aymond, who provided testimony on how her role shifted from caring for cardiovascular patients to pulmonary critical care and the ever-changing dynamics of pharmacotherapy during this crisis.

Finally, Querijero shared his experience of being redeployed from his current role to serving as a member of the COVID-19 team.

We closed the evening with an FAQ session. Each member story was powerful and insightful. The webinar was recorded and can be found here.

We encourage our members to keep checking back for more great COVID-19 resources, both on ACC's COVID-19 Hub and the ACC Member Hub.

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This article was authored by Craig J. Beavers, PharmD, FACC, chair of the ACC CV Team Section.