Acknowledging the Challenges
Amid the COVID-19 global outbreak, the coming weeks and months are likely to be a stressful time for those who work on the front lines of health care.
We are committed to providing support for you and your family during this time with COVID-19. We want to acknowledge the stress, fear, anxiety and other complex emotions that come with the work you do at the front lines of caring amidst an unknown, ambiguous and evolving landscape. Thank you all for the unprecedented collaboration and creativity you are showing as we develop ways to best support your patients, community and each other in the face of COVID-19.
Below are several ongoing efforts to provide support to our healthcare teams and their families during these challenging times:
COVID-19 & Mental Health Care for Providers
- Coronavirus and Mental Health: Taking Care of Ourselves During Infectious Disease Outbreaks (APA)
- Supporting the health and well-being of clinicians during public health emergencies (National Academy of Medicine)
- Guidance on Care for Health Care Providers (NCDHHS)
- NC Professionals Health Program (NCPHP)
- Strategies for Managing Stress (National Center for PTSD)
- Information for First-Responders (CDC)
- Taking Care of Patients During the Coronavirus Outbreak: A Guide for Psychiatrists (CSTS)
- I.M. Emotional Support Hub (ACP)
The American Medical Association (AMA) invites you to join its upcoming fall webinar series, starting Oct. 6, focusing on physician well-being, practice redesign, and implementing telehealth during COVID-19. Programming will focus on resources and solutions to help alleviate stress on health care systems, teams, and staff during the pandemic and guide systems through telehealth integration. Learn more and register here.
Resources to Support You and Your Patients
- Supporting the Mental Health of Patients During COVID-19: A Guide for Healthcare Personnel (CSTS)
- Psychological Effects of Quarantine During the Coronavirus Outbreak: What Healthcare Providers Need to Know (CSTS)
- Supporting Patients During Quarantine or Confinement (CSTS)
- Tips For Social Distancing, Quarantine, and Isolation During an Infectious Disease Outbreak (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, SAMHSA)
- Emotional Wellbeing During the COVID-19 Outbreak (Suicide Prevention Lifeline)
Psychology Today’s look-up tool of licensed PhD psychologists providing therapy with anonymity and option of private pay (no billing of insurance): https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapists
Free Apps for Self Care:
10% Happier: Free podcasts for medical providers
Additional Resources:
Inner Engineering – online meditation and yoga course; CME available.
*Photo above by NCMS member Tanya Sue Todd, PA-C