Supporting health care workers in times of crisis
Health care workers have concerns, too–just like the rest of us. (Shutterstock image, courtesy Bridge Magazine)
As the COVID-19 crisis continues into its third week in Michigan, residents are thankful for those on the front lines of the crisis, particularly those working in the health care profession.
While many of us are home in quarantine, with children and/or other family members, and trying to stay safe, others are working each day just like normal—only the conditions in which they are working are far from normal.
Doctors, pharmacists, nurses, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, and more are just a few of the professionals who face life-changing situations on a daily basis; most of them with the knowledge that this is the job they signed up for, it’s part of their work life, and they wouldn’t have it any other way.
The Mirror staff spoke to several local health care workers, all of whom spoke on condition of anonymity. But their stories are real and they are told from the heart.
A pharmacist said that “aside from decreasing how much patients touch common items, a lot of extra cleaning (between each customer) and sometimes delivering meds out to the parking lot, what we are doing hasn’t changed much. Our volume has dropped considerably in the last few days—I am guessing if patients have enough of their medication, they are just staying home.”
The pharmacy is unable to order commonly stocked items like hand sanitizer, rubbing alcohol, thermometers, masks and acetaminophen. Many items, both prescription and over-the-counter, are on backorder, which can be discouraging to both the staff and its customers.
There also has been confusion about Gov. Whitmer’s recent executive order regarding prescriptions, which allows a pharmacist to dispense up to 60 days of a non-controlled medication a person is currently taking, even without an active prescription. The intent is to make sure patients do not go without needed medications, even if the pharmacy is unable to get a renewal from the prescriber. It does not mandate that the pharmacy provide patients with a 60-day supply of medication. It also encourages insurance companies with 30-day supply limits to increase those limits so patients have to make fewer trips to the pharmacy; however, this is not required. Some insurance companies are allowing for early refills during this time, but pharmacies tend to use this leeway cautiously to prevent medication hoarding.
A healthcare provider who works in primary care stated that they don’t have any N95s or sanitizer and can’t get any more. Subsequently, they have cancelled as many routine visits as they can.
A doctor at a large Michigan hospital says they are grateful to work among such a committed group of individuals.
“The display of competency, compassion, and flexibility shown during this time has been amazing,” they said. “Flexibility has been invaluable among our staff—guidelines for how we utilize our PPE (personal protection equipment) supply, test for viral illness, and how we manage individual patients have been updated and changed almost daily to meet the needs of our community and the surrounding areas.”
They added that, “although it has been a challenge, the personal outpourings from those under quarantine who are supporting and encouraging our front line workers has definitely helped to keep us grounded during these hectic times.”
A health care worker at another large Michigan hospital says on behalf of their coworkers that “All health care providers are terrified”—mostly that they will bring the virus home to their family. “Our families did not sign up for this,” they added.
Staying safe themselves is a huge concern. “It’s like making a firefighter go into a fire without their turnout gear,” they said. Even using “universal precautions” is difficult, due to the lack of masks, gloves, and other PPEs.
Another health care worker stated, “I think a lot of healthcare workers are going to have PTSD after this.”
Emergency rooms, urgent care centers, and clinics are bogged down on a regular basis. Often, it’s used as a fall-back for situations that are neither urgent nor an emergency. To help take pressure off the ER staff, health care workers currently suggest that you stay home, even if you believe you may have COVID-19, until you experience breathlessness—and then seek immediate care at the ER.
Health care providers in most specialties, are now doing telephone visits, telemedicine visits, and bringing very few people into the office for evaluation. If you have a concern, call your Primary Care Physician’s office. They can likely help you via one of these methods without you having to leave your home. And, they are glad to reassure patients about their symptoms or concerns.
Of course, during this time, people are still going to have injuries, need stitches, get strep throat and UTIs. And ER staff will do their best to make those visits happen in a safe way for patients and providers.
What is happening now could well change the future of health care. But, amid all of that, health care workers are doing their best to be a calm and reassuring presence for their patients. They want people to be “extremely cautious, yet not overly anxious.”
Like the rest of us, health care workers are facing personal challenges as well. They miss their friends and family who are not part of their immediate households. Some may be grieving lost vacations, lost family events like graduations and weddings, and some may even have financial concerns due to family members who are out of work. “It’s ok to be sad about this or to grieve the lost experiences, but hopefully that’s all we’ll be grieving when this is over,” said one of our contacts.
Don’t hesitate to reach out to these critical workers! They are all working hard, adjusting their normal routines immensely, and trying their best to keep the general public as safe as possible.
No one really knows when this will all be “over.” And even when it is, there will be a very real fear of getting back out into the world. Some people are saying they’ll be “all in” when the executive order expires. Others will be more reluctant to resume full contact social life. It will take a long time to get back to a new normal.
The final word? “Keep staying at home, staying safe, and above all staying healthy. The more we can all cut back on utilizing resources—including testing supplies—the more they will be there for you and your loved ones when needed for severe illness or injury.”
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