SSM Health St. Anthony asking for "Oklahoma Standard" as COVID-19 pandemic rages on

OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) - "The Oklahoma Standard" is defined by the moments Oklahomans have stepped up to help their neighbors in times of tragedy.

Now, one local hospital system is using an ad campaign to ask where is the "Oklahoma Standard" now during the COVID-19 pandemic, when many refuse to take precautions.

SSM St. Anthony Hospital is in the heart of Downtown Oklahoma City - near the site where the Murrah Building once stood.

"Nurses literally ran from the building from the bombing site because we were so close," said Amy Pettit, RN. 

It's one of the most notable examples of the Oklahoma Standard the hospital system is asking others to live up to now.

"Caring about one another and stepping up and saying hey I care about you, you care about me and I'm willing to help you through this hard time," she said. 

Pettit works in the COVID-19 ICU unit at SSM St. Anthony Hospital - many days, leaving the hospital to see maskless citizens throughout Oklahoma City.

"It's just kind of frustrating because I'm like I just worked 13 hours and yesterday I lost 4 patients," she said. 

Pettit says she and her co-workers have held the hands of dying patients whose families couldn't make it in time.

These heartbreaking scenarios are why they're pleading for help.

"So to me wearing a mask is saying I care about you - which you know that's what the Oklahoma Standard is about," said Pettit. "We care about each other. There is a light at the end of the tunnel but we can't ignore what situation we're in now."