Kym Langford Named Spring 2021 COVID-19 Clinical Officer

Kym Langford, Coordinator of OC's Ellis Clinical Simulation Center and registered nurse, will serve as the COVID Clinical Officer for the Spring 2021 term. The university welcomes Langford's experience and knowledge of the COVID infection process as well as our internal guidelines for managing the infection.

Langford will take on the following responsibilities:
● Coordinate to implement COVID testing for the campus community.
● Receive notifications of and follow up with students who report a fever or new
symptoms.
● Coordinate with Resident Directors and the Director of Residence Life to ensure
students needing isolation and quarantine are complying with the requirements.
● Assess COVID-positive students in isolation routinely, to identify students whose
symptoms worsen. Ensure students receive health care as needed.
● Participate in huddles (online short meetings between key persons to update each other
on cases on campus or other pertinent information).
● Participate in COVID Readiness Team meetings.
● Answer questions from the campus community. The nurse is especially available to
supervisors, HR, resident directors and members of the Readiness Team.
● In coordination and conjunction with the Director of Residence Life and Resident
Directors, maintain records of students who test positive, those who are quarantined
because of exposure or those who are quarantined awaiting the results of testing.
● Teach students, faculty and staff appropriate isolation and quarantine procedures as
needed.
● Serve as a resource person related to COVID.

Langford's desire to contribute to the fight against the pandemic began early. The OC nursing program alum and adjunct professor, applied through a disaster relief agency to go to New York City (NYC) to help with the nursing shortage. She was selected and was deployed in March to serve on the frontlines in NYC for three weeks. Langford is married to OC's Center for Global Missions Director Ben Langford.

KFOR News told part of Kym’s story.

While in MYC Langford worked 12 hour days for 14 days straight followed by two days off and then 12 hour days for another seven days. Langford bonded quickly with nurses from Pennsylvania, Minnesota and Florida who were a part of more than 1,000 nurses from all around the country.

Ben said, “We are so proud of Kym for her courage and desire to serve in the epicenter of the outbreak, but of course we are concerned about her health and safety, and we will have to survive without her for 3 weeks.”

"Kym, your OC family is proud of you too. Thanks for being the hands and feet of our Jesus at this very difficult time," said President John deSteiguer.

Pray for Langford and the entire Covid Readiness Task Force to have wisdom in following God's direction through this next semester. Pray for the health and safety of our students, faculty and staff. At a time when pandemic fatigue can easily set in, pray for a renewed commitment to healthy practices, that we will Love Our Neighbor well.