In the Community

Grace Barker Health Staff Get Special Blizzard Transport As Winter Blizzard Rages

Grace Barker Health was well-prepared for the first major winter storm of the season.

Before the first flake fell on January 29, 2022, the maintenance crew of The Cove and The Willows double-checked the new generator, secured the snowplows, and treated the grounds with sand and salt. Administrators and department managers met to review emergency staffing plans to ensure the residents’ needs could be met if power was lost or weather became an issue.

When the snow forecast grew into double digits, the Lescault family had an idea.

“If the staff can’t get to our residents, then we’ll bring the staff to them,” recalls Assistant Administrator Ben Lescault.

With the storm swirling outside, Ben got up early to shovel out his Ford pickup truck for what would be a day-long transportation adventure. Together with his mother, Director of Nursing Services Mary Beth, they donned their warmest gear and set forth before dawn into the blinding snow and whipping winds armed with shovels and thermoses of hot chocolate, spending the entire day and night driving staff in to The Cove and The Willows for their shifts.

As the snow piled up measuring a few feet (Warren recorded a whopping 25” when it was over), Ben shoveled pathways IN to their staff member’s doorsteps – in one case, for a nurse with a broken foot on crutches who had to be helped into the truck!

Passing plows on snow-covered roads that were closed to non-essential vehicles, Ben and Mary Beth traveled from Warren and Barrington to Riverside and Rehoboth, making trips over 18 hours – until 11:45 pm! In all, staff including nurses, CNAs, dietary and department heads were able to be transported in over multiple shifts.

“It was amazing that management didn’t just punch out and leave on us,” states Kim, a staff member at The Cove. “Instead, they led us through and rode out the entire storm with us. They inspired others to come in and help out, even if it was just for a few hours or whatever they could do – even to stay overnight.

This Blizzard adventure just happened to occur on Ben’s 26^th birthday – the same birth date that he shares with the late Grace Barker, founder of the Grace Barker nursing home.

“I couldn’t think of a better way to spend Ben’s birthday than with him doing what we love, which is taking care of our residents and staff – no matter what it takes,” states Mary Beth. “Grace Barker would be so proud. I know I was!”