SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Alice McMenamin loves her home. It's a place she shares with her husband and animals.

McMenamin has been living with Multiple Sclerosis since the 1990s. While it may not have impacted her spirit, it has impacted her ability to take care of herself.

McMenamin was forced to seek help, but she feared losing the freedom she has at home.

"It was very difficult," she said

In-home healthcare is expensive and in short supply. Kaiser Health News reported that home healthcare agencies are turning away 40% of referrals because of a lack of workers.

The shortage is blamed on burnout, low wages and being recruited away by hospitals and other work with better pay and hours. The median wage for an in-home healthcare worker is approximately $10 an hour.

According to PHI, an industry research group, there are just over 2 million home healthcare workers, but the 65 and older population is expected to double by 2050, reaching nearly 90 million.

The increased demand and decreasing supply have led to some creative solutions in the private sector.

Trina Kaplow is one of the founders of Alice Care, a new app-based home care provider. Similar to a rideshare app, clients can schedule help with a task, like a bath, and licensed home care providers can choose to take the task.

"The difference is a traditional agency will require a four-hour minimum and often multiple times a week, which can be very expensive and excessive," said Kaplow.

"It's super flexible and I decide what I'm going to do in the moment," said Maria Vazquez, a CNA who works as a provider on the app.

In this great resignation mindset of an economy, where the employee has more power, Vazquez believes a flexible schedule in a traditionally unflexible career is a gamechanger.

"I have three children. I'm still taking classes. I'm applying to nursing school. Like my life is hectic. That's the reason I gravitated towards it," said Vazquez said.

Industries are changing, and healthcare is no different. As more creative solutions are being found to address worker shortages, people like McMenamin are grateful something is being done.

"Eventually one of my complications will get, get the better of me, but until then, it's not gonna win," she said.

MacKenzie Maier graduated from Louisiana Tech University in a personal ceremony at Touro, a community-based healthcare hospital in New Orleans, on Friday afternoon. And she did it all just weeks after being in a devastating car crash that left her with spinal cord injuries and more.Maier's crash happened just one day before her original graduation ceremony was scheduled.“It hasn’t been an easy one, by any means, but I’ve made it work. You know, each day you keep pushing and pushing, and I get stronger and stronger, and here I am," Maier said of what her journey has been like.Maier's doctors said her determination and hard work are contributing to her recovery. She has even been able to get in some steps with some assistance. Her goal now is to be able to walk on her own and go on to do her dream job of being a pediatric intensive care unit nurse.“This is what we do it for; it’s for these victories and patients like her, that are so inspired and inspire us, fill our souls too. Makes it very good for us as well," said Susi Folse, Maier's physician.This isn't the first adversity Maier has faced in her life. She also faced and beat a form of brain cancer as a child. She says she isn't done yet either and looks forward to the future.“Eventually, I just want to get back to where I originally had on my plans. Get back to where I can be a PICU nurse and be able to live out my career and hopefully one day travel and just do all the things I would have done if this accident wouldn’t have happened," said Maier.Louisiana Sen. Bill Cassidy also attended the graduation as the commencement speaker. He says Maier shows the strength of the people of Louisiana.

Heidi Prodoehl might know the inside of Froedtert's transplant center in Milwaukee better than anyone else."I'm just, like, interconnected multiple ways," she told sister station WISN. The West Bend wife and mom of two young kids has been a transplant nurse at Froedtert for more than a decade. But on this particular day in December, she's not the one checking the vitals; she's a patient, bringing WISN with her exclusively to her first post-op appointment after getting a kidney transplant."She would be kind of a poster child of people who come in and do well," said Froedtert surgeon, Dr. Terra Pearson. "She would be the poster child. She's doing amazing.""I'm doing really well," Prodoehl said. "I got my drain taken out. I got a staple taken out because the wound is looking really good."Earlier this month, Prodoehl was wheeled off the same floor she works to cheers from colleagues who have become much more."They're my family. They know everything. They were well-informed about everything going on. They knew ahead of time," Prodoehl said.WISN first introduced us to Prodoehl in 2020 when she found herself on the transplant list for the second time in her life. Born with a rare genetic disorder, she needed her first transplant, a new liver, in 2005.Christmas came early this month when just days before starting dialysis, a match was found."The night actually, I got the call and came in, everyone was like running down the hallways, excited and congratulating and hugging me. And I was so happy, so happy. It was me that was coming in for this organ," she said.Back on the mend, but not quite back to work, she's using the recovery time to share her story of the importance of organ donation."Yes, like Christmas. Especially right now, like, this is amazing because, you know, that person or whoever, whoever that was, I wouldn't be sitting here today talking to you guys had it not been for them. It's just amazing," she said.In hopes of encouraging others to give the gift of life."One out of every six people know somebody who has needed or is on a transplant list," Pearson said. "Which means that the life you save can be your next-door neighbor or even your family."To be connected with organ donation resources near you, click here.

CINCINNATI —

Jerry Mills is a die-hard Bengals fan.

Ed Fernandes cheers for the Raiders.

Before Saturday, the two were strangers. Now, they share a special bond.

"I believe God put me there for a reason so that man could have another day of living," Mills said.

Mills had just wrapped up an afternoon of tailgating.

He was on his way in to Paul Brown Stadium when he saw a Raiders fan on the ground. People in the crowd thought he was having a seizure.

"I look at him and, "I'm like, 'that doesn't look like a seizure activity.' I look for a pulse, he didn't have a pulse, and I was like, 'I'm going to start CPR right now,'" Mills said.

Mills, who is from Cincinnati and a former Covington firefighter, currently works as an emergency room nurse in Dallas.

"Being a nurse for the past three years, I've always told everybody I work with, 'Look, we're not losing nobody on my shift,'" Mills said.

That's how he felt outside PBS Saturday.

"I'm sitting there telling him, 'I'm not losing you today.' And so, the other nurse was helping and two minutes later, he got a pulse," Mills said.

But then Mills said he lost it again. Mills said the other nurse who jumped in to help also acted selflessly.

"She took the guy's shirt, put it across his face and started to breathe into his mouth," Mills said.

The two nurses continued to do what they had to to keep the Raiders fan alive until Cincinnati firefighters arrived.

On Tuesday, Mills learned the name of the man he saved, Ed Fernandes of Dayton, who had planned on attending the game with his grandson, Noah.

Noah told WLWT that his grandfather is still at UC Medical Center with blockages in his heart. He is scheduled to have surgery Thursday. Fernandes' family said they can't put into words how grateful they are for Mills.

It was right after Thanksgiving that registered nurse Jennifer Smith got an early morning phone call from John Burley, one of her favorite patients. He was distraught about his beloved dog, Boomer.

"I came into work the Monday after Thanksgiving to the phone ringing at 7 a.m.," Smith told CNN. "John was calling from his hospital room saying, 'Boomer is in the pound!' Boomer is in the pound!' Boomer is John's world."

Smith, who has been a nurse for 12 years, said she could tell he was concerned and also scared about what would happen to Boomer.

"He took a breath and asked me, 'Will you take care of Boomer?' And I said, 'Of course, John. I will find Boomer and take care of him for you,'" Smith told CNN.

Smith had met Burley at the Grand Rehabilitation and Nursing Center in Rome, New York, through its adult day healthcare program, which is for patients requiring supervision, and which allows them to socialize with others while receiving medical care.

The 60-year-old still had his own apartment where he lived alone with his little mutt. Burley had adopted the 12-year-old dog in Arkansas when he was a puppy and later moved to New York. Most of his family still lives in Arkansas, so when he was hospitalized for pneumonia and lung problems, he had no one to take care of his dog. No one — except Smith.

Smith says that she formed a friendship with Burley in the adult daycare program and he would often talk about Boomer, showing off pictures of his furry companion. "I couldn't separate the two of them. I just couldn't."

Burley didn't know which shelter Boomer was in. Smith immediately looked up nearby animal shelters and when she called the Rome Humane Society, she discovered he'd been taken there.

"I was a little panicked because I didn't know how long he had been in the shelter or if he had already been adopted to another family. It's Christmas time and people get animals," she said. "I told John I have a 13-year-old dog myself who I've had since a puppy, so I fully understand the panic. It made my heart sad for him and Boomer."

She took an early lunch the next day and drove to the shelter where she found 18-pound Boomer in a large cage in the back. Smith said, "OK, where are the adoption papers? I'm going to take him home."

Although he wasn't quite ready to be released from the shelter, Smith immediately called Burley to let him know she'd found Boomer, he was OK and she would be bringing him home soon. A short while later, Boomer was set up at Smith's home and making friends with her dog.

"It was one less worry that John has, and he needs to focus on getting better and taking care of himself and know Boomer is in good hands," Smith said.

Burley is now temporarily living in the rehabilitation wing of the center. It's uncertain where he'll live after he is released. But while he is there, Smith is able to bring Boomer to work with her. She takes him up to Burley's room a couple times a day. "It helps John with the healing process and gives him peace of mind," Smith said.

The other residents love Boomer, too. Smith says that Burley is proud to show off Boomer as he rides on his lap in the wheelchair. They smile and pet him.

"There are just so many worries in the world right now. If I can take one worry away from John, that's the least I can do," she said. "I can't cure diseases. I'm not a miracle worker ... I made a promise to John to take care of Boomer. I will take care of him as long as he needs me to. John knows that. Right now the focus is on John getting better and taking it one day at a time."

Smith's kindness hasn't gone unnoticed. Burley, who struggles a bit with speech, had an important thing to say: "I love Jennifer."

"John seeing Boomer, that's the only Christmas present I need right now," said Smith who, not surprisingly, said she pursued a career in nursing so she could help people.

COLUMBIA, S.C. —

A nurse in Columbia, South Carolina has been indicted by a federal grand jury on charges of making fraudulent COVID-19 vaccination cards, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of South Carolina.

Related video above: Should You Post Your Vaccine Card On Social Media? Can You Laminate It? All The COVID-19 Vaccine Card Answers You Need to Know

Tammy McDonald, 53, is charged with making fake vaccine cards on June 20 and July 28, allegedly filling out vaccine cards for people she knew had not received a COVID-19 shot. She's then accused of lying to federal agents when questioned about the matter in October.

"She provided CDC COVID-19 Vaccination Record Cards to individuals and had personally filled out the individuals' identifying information and lot numbers for vaccines she knew had not been administered to those individuals," the indictment said.

McDonald has been charged with two counts of producing fraudulent identification documents and one count of lying to federal investigators, according to the indictment. She was arraigned Friday and granted a $10,000 bond, and has pleaded not guilty on all charges, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney's Office.

"Although the indictment speaks for itself, creating fraudulent or fake vaccine cards for those who have not been vaccinated poses a direct threat to the health of the people of South Carolina," Acting U.S. Attorney DeHart said in a statement.

According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, McDonald faces up to 15 years in prison for each count of making fraudulent COVID-19 vaccination cards, and five years in prison for lying to federal investigators.

CNN has reached out to McDonald's attorney for comment and is awaiting a response.

A nurse in Illinois is no longer employed after posting on social media about running over protesters amid massive unrest gripping the country.

According to WMBD-TV,




the nurse is no longer associated with OSF HealthCare after making “insensitive comments” on social media. It’s unclear if she was fired or quit on her own accord.

“As previously shared, a Facebook comment made by one of our Mission Partners did not align with our values,” a spokesperson for OSF HealthCare told WMBD on Friday. “That person was immediately suspended, and as of today, is no longer with our organization. Words and actions that seek to marginalize or harm others have no place within our Ministry.

The post read, “If I’m driving down the road with my horse trailer behind me. No matter who you are. If you’re in the road ‘protesting’ I will run you over. I will not stop. I will not brake. I will not hesitate. I’d rather go to jail than have you injure or scare my horses.”

A number of Twitter users brought the May 31 Facebook post to the attention of OSF HealthCare in recent days.

“Thank you for bringing this to our attention. We're aware of the situation, and our HR team is addressing it,” the organization said before announcing the nurse no longer was an employee.

Exhaustion, sadness, stress and anger. That is how one Arizona nurse describes working inside one of the busiest COVID-19 units in the state right now.

Charge Nurse Debra, who requested we not use her last name or the name of the hospital in which she works, said she wanted to share "her truth" with a community that seemed divided over wearing masks and social distancing.

"I never ever want to get this virus, and I don't wish this on anybody," said Debra.

After almost 20 years of working in an intensive care unit, nurses like Debra are used to seeing pain and suffering, but Debra said what she is seeing with COVID-19 is on another level.

"It's intense, very stressful, very, very challenging. I never would have guessed that this would have happened in my career," said Debra.

In March, Debra and her team were informed their unit would be turning into a COVID-19 unit.

"At that time, I think we had about eight patients. Now we're full, we're overflowing into other units. It's difficult. It's challenging," said Debra.

Debra began posting about what it was like inside her hospital. In one social media post, she said:

"On the very first night there, we only had about 8 patients and by looking at how sick each of them were, I got teary/emotional and thought to myself, I can’t do this!!!! The amount of tubes, machines and continuous IV meds attached to these patients was barbaric!!!

As each bed opened, or became available due to a patient’s untimely demise, I have witnessed an amazing team of healthcare providers work relentlessly for each patient. But in a lot of cases, it was never enough. I have watched us try every concoction of ventilator settings and continuous IV infusions to help a patient let the ventilator do its work for them, but in many cases, it still didn’t work.

We try everything we can if the patient tolerates it. Five team members will go into rooms and sort out a vast array of tubes, IV lines, cables, equipment and wires, so we can flip a patient onto their stomach. This will sometimes help patients through the extremely severe inflammatory process that COVID causes.

Most people are not in perfect shape – we have to position pillows and foam pieces underneath their body just right to avoid pressure sores, to avoid their belly from pushing against the mattress which can also prevent the ventilator from working adequately and to prevent the lines, tubes and cables from becoming detached. This process can take an hour depending on the situation."

Debra also admitted she, along with experienced team members, had moments where they broke down and cried during their shifts.

"We all understand and are just there to help each other through it," said Debra.

Their supervisors often asked them if they needed a break or some time off, but Debra said for her, that was not an option. She knew her team members and her patients needed her.

For Debra, it is hard to describe the suffering she witnessed.

"Some patients, they cannot breathe. They're struggling to get comfortable. I don't know if you've ever felt you cannot get your breath, you cannot catch that breath, the anxiety that goes with it," said Debra.

There is also a fine line when giving patients medication to calm down. There is a risk the medication could slow down or stop a patient’s breathing.

Debra says she is sharing her experience with the community because she knows that numbers, charts and graphs shown by the state's health officials may be difficult for people to understand. Numbers can also be interpreted differently, based on how you looked at them. So, her clear message to people: what is happening inside our hospitals’ COVID-units today is very real.

"The last night that I worked, we had one COVID bed available. There are other intensive care unit beds, but people are still having car accidents, heart attacks, strokes, things like that. We need to keep those open for them," said Debra.

In her social media post, Debra stated medical professionals were doing everything they possibly could to save patients’ lives, but they desperately needed more medical professionals. She also further described how they must flip patients several times during a shift and how complicated that process can be:

"Placing a patient on their stomach is called proning. There are some shifts I work where we may flip patients 16 times (total flips for all patients). If anything emergent happens, we have to flip them back. This can happen to multiple patients at once and we only have so many staff members. A respiratory therapist has to be in the rooms when we flip as well. If they are in another room or we don’t have enough hands on deck to help, the patient in need just waits while their body suffers the lack of oxygen. Kidneys are being damaged and many patients have to go on dialysis.

Some may be from the lack of oxygen, some are from the problems caused in the blood by COVID and others because of the septic shock and lack of adequate vital signs to ensure the kidneys actually receive enough blood flow. If a patient can not tolerate regular dialysis due to how badly their body is in shock, they are placed on a continuous type of dialysis. This requires one nurse to provide dedicated care to that patient. This nurse cannot take care of other patients.

(Side note, we do not have enough nurses so every patient can have one for themselves) When everything we do is no longer enough, some patients may qualify for a treatment called ECMO. Very large tubes are placed into the patient. Blood flows out of the patient through this tube, goes through a machine that works like lungs should and puts oxygen into the blood, then the blood is returned to the body so it can deliver oxygen to the body."

Nurses like Debra are also doing what they can to comfort patients in the last moments of their lives. The hospitals have chaplains, but sometimes it is too late by the time the chaplain arrives. Debra says some hospitals are allowing family members in to say their last goodbyes, but often, a nurse is the only one holding the patient's hand as they pass away.

"We never let them pass alone. One of us is always in the room when they do pass away, but I've definitely prayed over patients," said Debra.

In her letter to the community, Debra went on to say:

"As our hospital has been told to go into emergency mode, we are preparing for things to get worse. We are barely afloat now. My words here cannot do the gravity of the situation enough justice but I hope they leave you considering a few things. Imagine not being able to breathe, struggling for air and no help comes. Imagine the same for your parents, siblings, children and no help comes.

People are tired of being advised to stay home, people disagree with what the numbers say, people don’t grasp exactly what it takes to make and staff an ICU room. People don’t understand the supplies and equipment needed and just how far that stuff goes.

What can you do? Be a little more cautious and considerate. Be more mindful of how you interact and whether things can wait a bit longer. Be safe! Be smart! It is so much easier than being a patient right now."

While most people seek safety during danger, Ebonique Johnson actually hurries to the frontlines.

“I’m running towards it because that’s where I’m needed the most,” said Johnson, a nursing student at Georgia State University in Atlanta.

Set to graduate in December, she’s looking to land a job at an ICU.

“I want to be where I’m needed,” Johnson said. “I want to help the COVID patients.”

That help could come sooner or later depending on where she gets a job.

Some states are waiving certain regulations and allowing nursing students to enter the workforce more easily. Other states, however, have prevented nursing students from working with COVID-19 patients altogether.

“We can’t hit the pause button with what’s going on, nurses are needed now more than ever,” said Dr. Regena Spratling, associate dean for GSU’s school of nursing.

She says coronavirus concerns have limited student access to hospitals for hands-on clinical training and that more courses are now being taught online.

“We’re really focusing on what they would be doing within the health care system as far as taking care of patients,” Spratling said.

Despite changes, GSU is seeing more people looking to join its nursing program.

For GSU nursing student Phillip Parnell, this pandemic is personal.

“One of my older relatives recently passed away with the virus,” he said.

The army veteran is now making his second career his first priority.

“When it hits home, it’s a different level of intensity,” Parnell said.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics says the health care industry needs more than 200,000 new nurses each year through 2026 just to replace retiring nurses.

“Although we never thought we would see a pandemic in our lifetime, it’s here,” Johnson said.

GSU students are happy to be leading the next generation of nurses while also fighting COVID-19 on the frontlines.

“We answer the call to be there for people,” Johnson said. “It’s our time to show up.”

FREEPORT, Pa. —

A Pennsylvania man was reunited with a nurse who saved his life.

In July, Tom Kissel was with his dog when he fell into the river at River Forest Yacht Club in Freeport.

Mary Jo Lender and her husband saw the dog struggling in the water, then saw Kissel was unconscious.

They pulled Kissel from the river and Lender performed CPR until medics arrived.

"If it wasn't for my husband going in and getting him from the water, and then the help that he had to pull him out. We had a person call 911, stay on the line with 911. I had another person here who was trying to help give mouth to mouth. I didn't do it alone, but I really feel like we were here for Tom," Lender said.

This week, they reunited on the same dock where their paths first crossed.

"They thought I was dead. I had no heartbeat, pulse, nothing. They just kept working on me. They didn't stop."

Kissel was in a coma for the days that followed the accident.

Today, he says he is about 90% back to normal.

BOSTON —

Boston Marathon bombing survivor Jacqui Webb was greeted by a familiar face after giving birth to her daughter, Ella, last month — one of the nurses who cared for her after the 2013 attack.

Webb spent three weeks at Tufts Medical Center in Boston after suffering life-threatening wounds when a pair of bombs exploded near the finish line of the iconic race, killing three people and wounding at least 264 others.

She can't say enough good things about the quality of care she got following her injury.

"I thank my lucky stars every day that I was brought to that hospital," Webb said. "And I think when I walked out of there, eight years ago, I said, if I ever had a baby, I'll be back at that hospital."

Webb was due to give birth on Aug. 29, but had scheduled a cesarean section on Aug. 22 in hopes of avoiding the stress of being rushed to the hospital. She went into labor a day early, so her surgery was pushed up.

Ella Webb Norden was born late on Aug. 21 and weighed 8 pounds, 5 ounces.

Nichole Casper was one of the nurses who took care of Webb after the bombing and happened to be on duty that night. Casper has worked in the hospital's Mother-Infant Unit for about four years.

Casper had gotten to know Webb and her family during her time in the hospital, but hadn't seen her since.

Video above: Boston honors Marathon victims

She recognized Webb and her fiancé, Paul Norden's, names on the list of incoming patients. Norden and his brother, J.P., each lost their right legs in the bombing.

Casper was in the hallway to get Webb to her room when she was brought in from delivery on a stretcher.

"I think I just looked at her and said, 'Long time no see' and she kind of looked at me and she was a little dazed," Casper said. "She was like, 'Oh hi! They told me you were up here waiting for me.' So it was cute because they were trying to keep her calm downstairs, so they had told her that I was working."

Webb was just coming out of surgery, so their first reunion was a little fuzzy.

"I do remember that I was just elated to see her," Webb said.

Webb, Norden and their new baby, were in the hospital for three days, and Casper picked up an extra night shift, so she could be there for their entire stay.

"I was just excited to see her and catch up," Webb said.

She said it was very comforting to be treated by people who understand what she went through and don't need to be walked through her complex medical history.

"I believe that the whole kind of staff went through that trauma or tragedy with me, and so I just think that they understand it on a different level," Webb said.

She said she didn't think she would have been able to recover from her injuries as well as she had without the hospital staff, so she was glad to be able to share a happy moment with them.

Casper, who has been a nurse for almost 21 years, said she has seen many patients suffering at the worst moments of their lives, but doesn't often get to see their successes after they leave the hospital. The bombing and memories of those patients have stuck with her over the years.

"It was a horrifying time, it was one of the worst times in my nursing career seeing those people that injured," Casper said. "To be able to see her have a brand-new baby and see her with Paul, it made me extremely happy. You know, it was just something that I'll probably never experience again in my career."

As we recognize nurses this week, the World Health Organization is deeming all of 2021 the year of the nurse.

It's an effort to encourage global investment in nursing.

The WHO has been calling on countries to increase education funding to employ more nurses.

Stride is a K-12 program that's offered in several states.

It helps students get to the front lines quicker.

High school students have the opportunity to graduate as certified nursing assistants without any additional schooling.

But if they want to take their career further to become a licensed practical nurse or a registered nurse, that experience helps them get their foot in the door.

The health careers program director at Stride says earning her CNA certification is something she did while in college that made a big difference.

"I was able to work at a local hospital and gain some additional experience, and it really helped me," said Dr. Sherri Wilson, the health careers program director at Stride. "It was value-added in my nursing program because I was already exposed to the clinical skills by working as a certified nursing assistant."

Since Stride allows students to leave high school with this certification, she says it can help with the nursing shortage.

It allows students to make a decision sooner if it's something they want to pursue.

One stride student who is about to graduate said she's eager to start helping with the pandemic.

"Seeing how much nurses can continue to just push forward, it's so inspiring," Megan Hanson, a Stride nursing student, said. "I think it's just an added bonus that we get to help and hope to fight like on the front lines and help to make medical decisions for people."

If a school doesn't offer the Stride program, there are still several options high schoolers can pursue to see if nursing is for them.

"Volunteer opportunities are great for students interested in healthcare and nursing," Dr. Wilson said. "It provides great exposure for students, and I think over time, there will be additional opportunities opening up for students to volunteer."

She says many schools also have nursing or health care explorer clubs.

Job shadowing and mentorship are also great ways to gain experience early on.