Karen Allen 03/08/2022

Karen Allen, critical care physician at St. Anthony's Hospital in Oklahoma City, talks about the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic when the hospital was preparing for large amounts of patients. She describes some of her interactions with families during the pandemic including those who wished to use unproven medical treatments on their loved ones due to misinformation or a misunderstanding. Allen notes an increasing level of distrust in healthcare and medical professionals from patients and families she had never seen before the pandemic. She also discusses the mental toll and need for counseling many ICU workers felt as a result of the medical situations and death on a new scale they had not previously experienced.