Comstock's magazine 0620 - June June 2020 | Page 32

WORKPLACE HEALTH
Donaldson — like much of the rest
of the world — has acutely felt the
effects of the coronavirus pandemic
on both a personal and professional
level. Her workplace started preparing
for the outbreak early, after it diagnosed
in late February what was then
the possible first case of COVID-19
due to community transmission in the
United States. She says California Gov.
Gavin Newsom’s stay-at-home order
March 19 paired with her hospital’s
preparedness have been effective in
flattening the curve and keeping the
Medical Center below capacity. By
mid-May, the hospital had treated 172
patients who had tested positive. This
was the lowest number of COVID-19
patients of the five academic medical
centers in the UC Health’s system.
“That aspect of it has not been overwhelming,”
Donaldson says. “There
are other things that have been very
difficult. I personally am not experiencing
fear and anxiety, and I’m not really
sure why that is. But there definitely are
other people I work with that are … and
it’s really difficult to see your coworkers
go through that.”
Some occupations are inherently
more emotionally demanding than
others. Doctors, nurses and other
health care workers, and first responders
are routinely exposed to
stress and trauma that can lead to
anxiety, depression, post-traumatic
stress disorder and other psychological
disorders. Now under the gloom of
a pandemic, people on the front lines
of the crisis are encountering a level of
unprecedented stressors layered onto
already challenging jobs.
“(This) will undoubtedly change
many ways we work and cope and will
put more emphasis on health care
staff protecting themselves and looking
after themselves than has been
traditional in the past,” says Dr. Peter
Yellowlees, a psychiatrist and chief
wellness officer for UC Davis Health.
“Many staff are expecting to get
infected and know that some of them
will die as a result, but they are still
going to work every day despite this.
They are heroes and will, hopefully,
be recognized as such. But, of course,
there is a personal psychological and
family toll, and we are expecting to be
providing more counseling, debriefing,
treatment and support for quite
a while.”
‘ANXIETY IS PALPABLE’
Brian Trainor, a UC Davis professor
of psychology, says humans can
become accustomed to many types of
stressors, meaning the body’s physical
response decreases with repeated
exposure. “It’s this physical response
that we think contributes to most
of the negative health outcomes we
associated with being ‘stressed out,’”
Trainor says. But humans have a much
harder time adapting to social stressors,
like discrimination, bullying or,
in the coronavirus context, lockdowns
that prevent people from being in the
presence of others.
Doctors and nurses who are exposed
to human suffering caused by the
coronavirus experience a form of social
stress, Trainor says. Evidence also suggests
some stress can be socially transmitted.
“In other words, being exposed
to patients suffering from COVID-19 —
who are experiencing their own stress
of isolation and fear of death — is very
likely to trigger similar physiological
responses in health care workers,” he
says. Another stressor: the long shifts
that isolate these workers from their
family and friends.
“I think you can make a strong
case that the COVID-19 outbreak has
a strong social stress component,”
Trainor says. “Furthermore, its prolonged
and intense nature will make
it much more difficult to adapt to. We
know that social stressors increase risk
for depression and anxiety disorders, so
it will be very important for our society
to (provide) mental health support for
those treating patients with COVID-19.”
In April, at the same time UC Davis
Medical Center continued to gear up
for more cases, Sacramento-based
WellSpace Health reported that telephone
calls and texts to the suicide
“(This) will
undoubtedly
change many ways
we work and cope.
... Many staff are
expecting to get
infected and know
that some of them
will die as a result,
but they are still
going to work
every day despite
this. They are
heroes and will,
hopefully, be
recognized as such.
But, of course,
there is a personal
psychological and
family toll, and
we are expecting
to be providing
more counseling,
debriefing, treatment
and support for
quite a while.”
PETER YELLOWLEES
PSYCHIATRIST AND CHIEF
WELLNESS OFFICER,
UC DAVIS HEALTH
32 comstocksmag.com | June 2020