Staff Reports

Nashville resident, medical device inventor and startup founder Jessica Bussert headed off to New York City April 10 to join the battle of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Bussert, who served as a registered nurse and traveling emergency-room nurse for more than 10 years, heard the call for frontline-skilled healthcare workers to jump back into the field.

She chose to head to one of the epicenters, serving in an undisclosed Brooklyn hospital.

“I’m part of the second wave, the reinforcements, and we are there to help take the pressure off of those who have been in the battle since the beginning and to bring them relief so they can recharge and regroup to finish this fight,” Bussert said.

The emergency room experience has shaped Bussert over the years, and led to her founding Wave Therapeutics, a division of woman-owned Bussert Medical Inc. out of Nashville. She formed the company after treating a wheelchair-bound military veteran who couldn’t afford an effective solution to prevent pressure ulcers.

“After that experience, I knew I had to do something,” Bussert said.

For the next few months, Bussert will be working 12-hour shifts, four days a week in a Brooklyn emergency room and managing her company from afar with the assistance of her executive team.

“This chance to join so many healthcare professionals who have put their lives on the line to heal others in this storm is just fuel for everything I’m working to do back home in Brown County,” Bussert said. “Caring for others is my passion, it’s my purpose and we will prevail for all.”