The Record Special Sections Health Quarterly 04-26-2020 | Page 4

4 ❚ SUNDAY, APRIL 26, 2020 ❚ THE RECORD HEALTH QUARTERLY / ADVERTISING SECTION Medical Workers Face the Strain of the Pandemic D octors and nurses are trained to deal with life-and-death situations, to be calm in the face of crisis. But whether it’s in hard-hit New York or places where COVID-19 has yet to surge, medical workers say the pandemic is strain- ing their mental health like nothing before. “The stress is probably 100 times what you could have imagined it was in the past,” said Judy Davidson, a nurse scien- tist at University of California, San Diego Health. Davidson, whose research shows nurses were at higher risk for suicide than the general population even before the coronavirus struck, said delivering psycho- logical support to health care workers will be as crucial as providing protective gear. Stories from some of those on the front lines make clear why. “To me, it’s almost like going into a battlefield, where every enemy is a sniper,” said Poppy Strochine, a nurse in Cincinnati. “You don’t see him. You don’t know where it’s going to come from. And you don’t have the supplies that you need to keep yourself safe to actually do the battle.” As a wound care specialist, she visits people in home after home, unsure of what they might have been exposed to. Strochine has yet to encounter a case of COVID-19 — that she knows of. But “I’m right up against the patient dealing with the wounds. If they cough or sneeze or even touch me, I’m infected.” The coronavirus, she said, “basically puts you on an island where you are there by yourself.” She particularly misses the physical touch of her family. “I really can’t do that. Because at any point in time, you don’t know if you’ve got it. And to pass it along to them — I’d never forgive myself.” Dr. Mitchell Elkind, professor of neurology and epidemiology at Columbia University in New York City, has seen the strain. Much of it stems from uncertainty about how to fight the illness, said Dr. Elkind, president-elect of the American Heart Association. “We are constantly learning and updating our recommendations, and I think that makes people a bit uncomfort- able.” Dr. Elkind also worries about exposing his family to the virus. He’s careful about changing out of his scrubs at the office and showering as soon as he gets home. But he wonders, “Is that overkill? Is it not enough? Should I be staying in a hotel instead of going home? These are the kinds of deci- sions that we’re making without very much information at all.” And he’s concerned about the doctor trainees whose careers have been put on hold as they are pressed into service. “It’s interrupted their lives,” he said. “And hope- fully, they don’t end up paying for it with their lives.” Strochine, the wound care nurse, finds solace in humor, and in getting out to the creek near her house. “I’ll sit beside the creek for hours on end and just meditate and relax. And that seems to help.” She and Dr. Elkind said people can support medical workers by doing some- thing simple: staying home. “It’s so hard to conceive of how stay- ing at home is a benefit, because you feel like you’re not doing anything,” Dr. Elkind said. “People want to get out there and do something positive. They don’t want to stay back and not do something. But in this case, the paradox is that staying home and staying away from people really is of great benefit.” For information, email [email protected]. — Provided by American Heart Association News Nurses: Rising to the Highest Levels of the Profession CONTINUED FROM PAGE 3 PHOTO COURTESY OF HUMC Dianne Aroh, MS, RN, FACHE, NEA-BC, executive vice president, chief clinical and patient care officer at Hackensack University Medical Center, left, and the nursing team have been working around- the-clock during the COVID-19 pandemic. volunteered for COVID-19 assignments. It’s a new world out there, she said. “You don’t go to nursing school preparing for battle. You think you will [be safe and] get to go home each day.” COVID-19 might be new, but nonetheless, nurses have the same “moral and ethical obligation” as always, said Van Dyk. “You go into this profession knowing there is going to be good and bad. You can’t pick and choose.” Burke has been touched by the dedication of nurses who have returned to work after recovering from the virus. “Nurses are coming back as quickly as they can. They get it.” “Our nurses are the backbone of the frontline care team,” said Dianne Aroh, MS, RN, FACHE, NEA-BC, executive vice president and chief clinical and patient care officer of Hackensack University Medical Center. “We are serving a population that is among the most impacted by this pandem- ic, and we have responded with the same collaborative, creative and heroic spirit that we consistently demonstrate. This is evidenced by our swift action in converting over a dozen units that are now solely designated for treating COVID-19 patients.” Never has it been more obvious that nurses have an incomparable role in patient care that requires a distinctive repertoire of abilities. “The unique set of challenges COVID-19 has presented demands that we rise to the highest levels of our profession, and that is exactly what our nurses have done,” said Aroh. PHOTO COURTESY OF VALLEY HEALTH SYSTEM Jennifer Esposito, patient care associate, assists Caitlin Burke, manager, Patient Care Services, in donning her personal protective equipment as she prepares to care for patients being treated at Valley Hospital for infection with COVID-19. All three hospitals hold the gold standard of Magnet designation, for which they have qualified by meeting stringent require- ments established by the American Nurses Credentialing Center. The word “Magnet” reflects an organization’s ability to attract superior nurses. “Our Magnet recognition illustrates that our nurses are lifelong learners, commu- nity advocates, missionaries and mentors all within their area of specialty practice,” said Aroh. Preparation is essential. Nurses undertake the rigors of specialized learning and highly regarded certifications. “I am proud that a large majority of our nurses providing direct care have earned at least a BSN, and that they continue to earn nation- al certifications each year.” From managers to staff nurses, leader- ship, critical thinking and problem-solving skills are among the valued assets nurses bring to the forefront in the treatment of COVID-19 patients. They make many, many decisions of varying degrees of conse- quence, using skills acquired in school and honed through experience. At the bedside, nurses are the eyes and ears of the physi- cians, with whom they serve as partners. “There never has been a disease like this,” said Burke. “It’s not just the hospital. It is the whole world.” As experts struggle to develop treatment, nurses on the ground are multi-tasking in a way most people cannot fully appreciate. “Every part of their [a patient’s] body is affected by the disease,” said Van Dyk, who offers both encourage- ment and advice when given a forum. “We are doing everything we can, and we are working hard.” Be part of the COVID-19 response team, she urges. “Take this seriously — stay home.” Indeed, it is a small price to pay in support of frontline nurses around the world. The roster of other northern New Jersey Magnet hospitals includes: Englewood Health, Morristown Medical Center (Atlantic Health System), St. Joseph’s University Medical Center (includes St. Joseph’s Children’s Hospital), and St. Barnabas Medical Center (RWJ Barnabas Health).