{"id":137425,"date":"2021-03-18T14:49:07","date_gmt":"2021-03-19T00:49:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/?p=137425"},"modified":"2021-03-18T14:49:07","modified_gmt":"2021-03-19T00:49:07","slug":"uh-hilo-nursing-alum-covid-19-response-plans","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/2021\/03\/18\/uh-hilo-nursing-alum-covid-19-response-plans\/","title":{"rendered":"东精影业<\/abbr> Hilo nursing alumnus spearheads hospital COVID-19 response plans"},"content":{"rendered":"Reading time: <\/span> 2<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span>
\"Arthur
Arthur Sampaga Jr.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

On February 20, the Hilo community pulled together to deliver vaccines to 2,000 people at the Edith Kanakaʻole<\/span> Tennis Stadium. Among the many volunteers who organized the event, employees from the Hilo Medical Center (HMC<\/abbr>) spent their day off vaccinating educators and those in the airline and service sectors. Among those fueled by a commitment to public health service was Arthur Sampaga Jr.<\/strong>, chief nursing officer at HMC<\/abbr> where he\u2019s been on staff for 32 years. An alumnus of the University of Hawaiʻi<\/span> at Hilo<\/a>, Sampaga was in the very first nursing cohort, graduating with a bachelor of science in nursing in 1994.<\/p>\n

The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly impacted Sampaga\u2019s job at the hospital.<\/p>\n

“Since January 2020, almost all of my focus and efforts have been COVID-19 related,” he said. “As an active member of the executive planning committee, we have prepared our medical center and community to deal with the active threat of this virus.”<\/p>\n

Sampaga has played an integral role in planning, obtaining necessary equipment and supplies, providing updated infectious disease training, and implementing all evidence-based practices in Hilo.<\/p>\n

“From the start we have been taking a proactive approach in everything we do, such as ongoing surveillance testing of all employees, proper personal protective equipment use, opening up a COVID-19 unit to care for patients, and now providing the COVID vaccines for our community healthcare workers, essential workers and k\u016bpuna,” Sampaga explained. “I am also the East Hawaiʻi<\/span> Medical Center\u2019s liaison actively participating with Civil Defense and Department of Health daily operations.”<\/p>\n

Sampaga is grateful to the 东精影业<\/abbr> Hilo nursing program<\/a> which he claims helped expand his knowledge base in a variety of sciences, community outreach services and leadership development. While completing his degree, nights were spent working full-time in the intensive care unit at HMC<\/abbr> caring for critical ill and injured patients. On top of a packed schedule during his days at 东精影业<\/abbr> Hilo, Sampaga also worked as a part-time soldier in the National Guard. He retired as a lieutenant colonel, chief nurse and deputy commander for the U.S. Army Medical Command or Medcom after 30 years of service.<\/p>\n