COVID-19 Pandemic
Joey Sweeney, PharmD, BCPS
Right now, the sun is casting its warm golden rays through white puffy clouds as spring finally arrives. The woodchucks in my log pile have emerged from their dens and are quite a bit thinner than when I saw them last November. They are busy getting fat right now. Migratory birds have come back and are chirping their beautiful songs each morning as I lift my head from my pillow.
There is also a massive global pandemic threatening all of humanity, and it has finally arrived in my sleepy part of the country.
As I write this in mid-March, the county I live in has just seen its first three cases of COVID-19. The public health department said the first was from a person who recently traveled. The next two were community spread, as these people had not traveled recently. Thousands more in my county will likely contract this infection before this issue makes it to your doorstep.
While the natural world has been gently thawing out over the past week, the 27-hospital health system I work for has been operating as a well-oiled military machine, gearing up for the most important battle anyone alive today will fight.
The public impression from my Facebook feed has gone from mild annoyance about toilet paper shortages to a general sense of unease, and has now ratcheted up to full-on panic. Despite this terror, the people in my community have come together to support each other during our self-imposed quarantines.
Teachers in my state have displayed the courage and resilience we have taken for granted and are doing wonderful work keeping our young people focused on their studies. Grocery store employees have been working long hours and putting themselves at risk to ensure others are fed. Health care workers have been making plans with their families for what is going to happen over the next few months.
In a time of a worldwide crisis, everyday Americans have set aside their partisan differences and have come together to help each other with a speed and intensity I have never seen.
These are the people I am proud to serve as I work 16-plus-hour days to ensure the inpatient drug supply in my hospital is preserved.
Right now, we have discharged every patient who can safely go home from the hospital. Elective surgeries have been canceled, which will prevent additional patients from needing hospital beds. Our census is lower than I have ever seen it. Overflow units have been created. Labor pool resources have been activated.
We are now prepared. Our doors are open, our hospital beds are ready. We health care workers are holding our breath and will soon rush into the battle of our lives. During this strange calm, we have this to say to COVID-19:
Bring. It. On.
Well-being in time of crisis
Burnout in the pharmacy profession was a concern before the COVID-19 health crisis. Now, with fear, anxiety, and panic escalating to unprecedented levels worldwide, advice on self-care and well-being is more sought after than ever, not just by pharmacists who find themselves on the front lines of the fight against the pandemic, but for the patients they see and will see in a post-COVID-19 world.
“Occupational burnout isn’t the biggest problem right now,” said Cynthia Knapp Dlugosz, BSPharm, NBC-HWC, and long-time mindfulness practitioner (Editor’s note: Knapp-Dlugosz is not a certified mental health professional). “We are all in a time of crisis and have new concerns to navigate.”
Those concerns are being felt worldwide; the concern of living with the knowledge that there is no guarantee: not for groceries, not for cleaning products, and not for a tomorrow. Rituals and routines are gone, replaced with the unfamiliar.
What can people, health professionals especially, expect to deal with as the pandemic continues, and post-pandemic? A wobbly work–life balance and symptoms of PTSD are just the beginning.
But there are ways to cope.
The National Alliance on Mental Illness provides information for anyone experiencing feelings of disconnection and anxiety. People with questions about how to manage panic, what to do when missing routines, or how to receive support after losing a loved one can find guidance at www.nami.org/covid-19-guide.
Mental Health America hosts a collection of tools, webinars, and information on topics such as dealing with anxiety, how to connect with people in a virtual environment, financial concerns you may be having, and how to explain the pandemic to children. Find those resources at https://mhanational.org/covid19.
The American Society of Health-System Pharmacists lists suggestions specifically for pharmacists. More how-to’s on limiting your news intake, caring for yourself while caring for others, and practicing self-compassion can be found at https://apha.us/ASHP_wellbeingresource.
APhA’s own collection of resources to assist pharmacists and their loved ones during this time and going forward can be found at www.pharmacist.com/well-being/well-being-resources.
Headspace, an app focusing on wellness, meditation, and mindfulness, is currently offering health care workers free access at www.headspace.com/covid-19.
Look for more well-being articles in Pharmacy Today’s upcoming June issue and on pharmacist.com.