Intensive care nurse in Flint dies of the coronavirus

In the days leading up to his death, his colleagues held a parking lot vigil for Patrick Cain’s recovery.

April 6, 2020Robin Erb, Ashley WongMichigan Health Watch

Another Michigan nurse has died on the front lines of the coronavirus pandemic.

Patrick Cain, 52, an intensive care nurse at McLaren Flint, died “due to complications related to coronavirus,” according to a letter to the “McLaren Flint Family” from Chad Grant, McLaren president and CEO.

“Unfortunately, despite the best efforts of caregivers everywhere, some patients will succumb to the virus throughout this pandemic,” Grant wrote, as he thanked staff who cared for Cain.

He also acknowledged health care workers “courageously battling coronavirus and helping many to recover.”

Genesee County, which includes Flint, had 504 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 18 deaths as of Sunday, according to state health officials.

“The loss of one of our own heroes is a tragic reminder of just how widespread the virus we are fighting has become,” Grant wrote. “Please continue to support and care for each other during these trying times.”

Stories from the front

Bridge Magazine and the Detroit Free Press are teaming up to report on Michigan hospitals during the coronavirus pandemic. We will be sharing accounts of the challenges doctors, nurses and other hospital personnel face as they work to treat patients and save lives.

If you work in a Michigan hospital, we would love to hear from you. You can contact Robin Erb rerb@bridgemi.com at Bridge or Kristen Jordan Shamus kshamus@freepress.com at the Free Press.

Kelly Indish, president of AFSCME Local 875, which represents McLaren nurses, said Cain will be “greatly missed.”

“Our McLaren family is grieving,” she told Bridge Magazine and the Detroit Free Press in a text. She called Cain “a warrior.”

“Our heart goes out to his family and colleagues, this is a very sad day at McLaren Flint,” she wrote.

Cain’s declining condition had been shared across social media in the days leading to his death. More than a dozen people gathered to hold a vigil for Cain on Saturday, according to public posts on Facebook.

Those who worked alongside Cain at McLaren are “devastated,” said Nina Bugbee, president of the Teamsters Local 332, which represents radiologists and respiratory therapists at McLaren Flint Hospital.

“We’re as disturbed about anyone in the community that would die as a result of COVID, but this is also one less soldier to fight in this war,” she said.

RESOURCES:

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