SPRINGDALE, Ark. — Jamye Perry is a registered nurse at Northwest Medical Center in Springdale.
She will be working at a level one trauma hospital in Bridgeport, Connecticut treating patients with the coronavirus in the ICU.
She says she made this decision because she would want other nurses to help in Northwest Arkansas if there was a need.
"I do have family, and I had to take that into consideration, but I also knew that as a nurse if I was that person waiting for help and nobody was coming, what that could mean for me and my family," she said.
Perry has been a nurse of 19 years and says the steps that Northwest Medical Center in Springdale has taken has prepared her to work with patients in Connecticut.
"I'm not really afraid of the virus. I really feel like I understand what everybody else understands about it so far. I have the gear that I need. The main anxiety is just getting there and seeing what really is going on, what I'm going to have to do, and being able to adapt," she said.
While she's gone, she wants people here at home to practice social distancing and realize how dangerous the virus is.
"I really hope that people will be cautious and really listen to people in the medical community and follow those guidelines," she said.
Perry says when she returns, she will pay close attention to see if she has any symptoms and plans to quarantine before returning to work.