Roadrunners' assistant women's volleyball coach Danielle Phillips has faced the toughest battle of her life over the past several weeks -- one she prepared well for throughout her professional career but never expected to materialize.
Danielle has emerged as one of many local health care heroes who sacrifice themselves to help control spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19) in the region.
As a Public Health Nurse for Virtua Health and the Burlington County Health Department, Danielle works at the COVID-19 Testing Site at the Emergency Services Center in Westampton, NJ two days a week. Patients must show symptoms and have a physician's note -- and they are tested by appointment only.
She also serves as Lead Case Manager three days per week back in the office to follow up with clients who tested positive. Since mid-March, Danielle and her colleagues have documented the virus' track using a COVID-19 Charting System known as
The Communicable Disease Reporting and Surveillance System (CDRSS) overseen by the New Jersey Department of Health's web site.
"We chart all of the patients who test positive and were hospitalized," she said. "We monitor their data by logging it into the CDRSS. This system helps us follow up more effectively with the patients' health needs. And, unfortunately, we have seen some very sad cases."
Danielle has treated patients during other natural disasters such as Hurricane Sandy in 2012 -- but the COVID-19 pandemic has proven far more challenging and dangerous.
"It's a lot different because the virus is so contagious," noted Danielle, a health care professional since 2012 for both Hahnemann Hospital and now Virtua Health. "We help the public but we put ourselves at risk with COVID-19. That wasn't the case with Hurricane Sandy -- the setup tents were different following the Hurricane. We knew we weren't going to catch anything contagious."
For now, Danelle will continue on the front lines until the virus has been contained. She looks forward to returning as the Roadrunners' assistant volleyball coach in the near future. In 2019, Danielle assisted head coach Rebecca Pierson as the Roadrunner enjoyed the greatest season in program history, including the program's first Garden State Athletic Conference championship and a Region XIX title appearance. The Runners finished with a 14-5 overall record
"I miss everyone on the team and in our athletics department," she said. "So many people have contacted me and my nurse colleagues to thank us -- and we deeply appreciate everyone's concerns!"
See profile on Coach Danielle Phillips below.
Danielle Phillips, BSN, RN
Position: Assistant Women's Volleyball Coach, 2015 to present.
Professional Experience: Public Health Nurse, Virtua Health, Burlington County Health Department, 2 years; Emergency Room Nurse at Virtua Health, Voorhees, NJ; former ER Nurse at Hahnemann University Hospital.
High School: Sterling, 2008
Scholastic highlights: Played setter for 4 seasons; Courier-Post Player of the Week; Moorestown High School Tournament MVP; played softball, second base position.
College: Bachelors of Science in Nursing, University of Scranton, 2012; played volleyball during freshman season; currently working on Masters' Degree in Nursing Informatics.
RCSJ Volleyball Coach Rebecca Pierson on Danielle Phillips: "Danielle is a vital member of our program and we are lucky she continues to put time in with our team. We appreciate everything she is doing for the community during this time. "
Danielle Phillips on the COVID-19 Pandemic: "It's pretty surreal. In Public Health Nursing we prepare for natural disasters. We practice emergency preparedness training every year -- but we never thought we would be implementing this in real life. The pandemic changes every day and it's hard to keep up with the flow of information.
"We hope everyone takes social distancing activities seriously so we can flatten the curve and get back to our normal lives."
Related Video: Roadrunners Enjoy Banner Volleyball Season Capturing First Conference Championship!