Rotary Club of Ames President Kent Frankenfeld and Julie Scebold
Julie Scebold
Julie Scebold is the Manager of Mary Greeley’s Intensive Care Unit (ICU)
When a Des Moines Register reporter asked to spend extended time at Mary Greeley to cover the impact of COVID-19, Julie was one of the first to welcome the idea enthusiastically. She wanted the story told, wanting people to understand what she and her staff were going through. She wanted her friends and family to know why she changed her clothes in the garage when she got home from work.
Julie and her ICU team were among the first at Mary Greeley on the frontlines of COVID-19. They dealt with the most seriously ill patients, including those on ventilators. They coped with patient deaths due to COVID. They managed concerned families who often couldn’t visit their loved ones until their prognosis turned dire.
They saw the worst of COVID, and under Julie’s leadership, the ICU staff weathered what is likely to be the worst healthcare crises of their careers. Julie started a practice of playing “Here Comes the Sun” when a patient came off a ventilator – a minor form of celebration that lifted the spirits of patients and staff.
A Des Moines Register reporter and photojournalist ultimately spent many hours in ICU, where Julie and her staff gave them as much access as possible. Julie made sure the story was told. The result was an award-winning series in the Register that will serve as an important history of one hospital’s COVID experience.
Her Rotary Member sponsor is Sarah Buck