Emotional Video Doc On Maine ICU Nurses Earns Regional Emmy
A video capturing the thoughts and emotions of Maine Medical Center (MMC) ICU nurses as they cared for unvaccinated patients during the Delta COVID-19 surge won MaineHealth videographer Charlie Berg a Regional Emmy® Award at Boston’s Wang Theater Saturday night. The story, entitled “Inside View of Maine Medical Center ICU Nurses Caring for Unvaccinated COVID-19 Patients,” was posted on the MaineHealth YouTube page and other social media channels on September 2, 2021 to encourage vaccination against COVID-19, and has now been viewed more than 750,000 times.
Berg shot, edited and produced the video, but he credits its power to the ICU nurses who opened up to him about the toll the surge was taking on them and their community. He went to the ICU that day expecting the focus of his story to be an unvaccinated patient whose experience with COVID-19 left him wishing he had chosen vaccination. As he began speaking to nurses Chani Marcoux, RN, Britney Meunier, RN, Danielle Poulin, NP, and Kimberly Matheson, RN, he knew their stories were just as important because they not only were speaking for themselves, but for the patients they lost.
“The truth is I showed up for one day with a camera and the nurses and the front line care teams have been doing this for two years, putting their lives on the line,” Berg said. “It was important to them that people see the needless pain and suffering that patients, families and care teams were going through when effective vaccines were available. It was important to me that that story be told.”
When the Regional Emmy® was announced, Marcoux, Meunier, Poulin and Matheson took the stage with Berg to receive the award. Berg introduced the nurses, who received a standing ovation.
“Charlie really was able to portray and capture the message of what it’s like to be an ICU nurse during the pandemic and the importance of vaccination,” Meunier said. “Inviting us to be part of the Emmy ceremony was so special.”
“Just being acknowledged, not only that night but also with the number of times that video has been seen was emotional for us,” Marcoux said. “To us, this award is for the patients we lost, those who passed away without their families with only us there. They’re always on our minds.”