Hospital Staff Keep Care Going Through Christmas in Hazard

On December 24, approximately 350 employees at Hazard ARH remained on duty to care for patients and keep emergency and inpatient services functioning throughout the holiday. Hospital CEO Brian Springate said the commitment reflects the essential nature of health care delivery, noting that the facility operates "24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year, regardless of holidays or Christmas, and it’s part of becoming a nurse or a part of becoming a health care provider."

The workers on duty included experienced clinicians and many newer staffers. Katelyn Cornett, a first year registered nurse at Hazard ARH, said working her first holiday assignment was emotionally difficult. "It’s going to be really hard for me, I think, because I have lots of nieces and nephews. I don’t have children of my own, but they are my whole world," Cornett said. Emily Combs, another registered nurse, described why she chose to work the holiday and how personal experience shaped her approach to patients. "You go into nursing knowing that you’re sacrificing, you know, a big part of your life to help take care of other people. So it does make me feel like special that you know I can be with people that don’t get to spend Christmas with their families," Combs said. Combs added that caring for hospitalized family members motivated her to give back to patients. "My mom spent a good majority of the last year in the hospital and it’s hard on you your family, you know, just as it is the patient when your family member isn’t able to spend Christmas with you or any holiday," Combs said. "So, you know, it’s really important when my mom was in the hospital, I felt like the nurses and, you know, the doctors and everyone on the floor were very, you know, helpful, very like just comforting and I just want to give that back to to my patients too."

Staff sought to bring holiday comfort to patients through small gestures such as candy canes, small gifts, holiday music and turning on familiar television programs. Those acts aim to reduce the emotional burden on patients who cannot be home with loved ones and to support families who must cope with hospitalization on a major holiday.

For Perry County residents, the scene underlines two realities. First, local hospitals are community lifelines and require a workforce willing to sacrifice family time to maintain care. Second, the frequency of holiday staffing raises policy questions about staffing levels, mental health supports, and compensation for workers who staff essential services on major holidays. As rural health systems continue to face workforce pressures, community awareness and policy attention will be important to sustain both patient care and the wellbeing of the people who provide it.