TEDxWrigleyville 2020 Theme: “Humanity, a View From Inside the Pandemic,” filmed inside Wrigley Field (Chicago) amidst civil unrest and with full compliance of Covid-19 related quarantine restrictions.
Megan Tress, like most nurses, holds her finger on the pulse of human connection. At a time when patients are forced to fight for their lives, and even to die, in isolation, her talk identifies a $10 tool that increases the likelihood of hospitalized patient recovery while significantly improving their mental and emotional health.
Megan Cairns Tress, MSN, FNP-C, RN is a Family Nurse Practitioner at PCC Community Wellness Center, a Federally Qualified Health Center network on Chicago’s West Side. She is also a clinical instructor at the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Nursing. In times of pandemic, she has discovered her talent for organizing and has tackled the issue of hospital no-visitor policies head on with a simple intervention — a cell phone charger.
Since the onset of the COVID crisis, Megan has led several initiatives to support healthcare workers and vulnerable communities. She operated a COVID hotline at PCC where she and other providers fielded over 4,000 calls regarding physical symptoms, emotional stress, and financial insecurity. She also commissioned cloth masks for her fellow providers and several PCC patients. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx
Connected Isolation and Health | Megan Tress | TEDxWrigleyville