During the Pandemic, many were locked up in their homes, leading to an increase in anxiety and depression in many individuals. Additionally, essential workers in hospitals had to deal with many deaths and the job of delivering lots of bad news. However, before COVID-19, there’s always been a need for mental health support for those working in the medical field. Two nurses, Deborah Morgan and Dawn Griffin, used poetry as an outlet for the high-stress situations they had to deal with while working at Cefn Coed Hospital.
We’ve Got This
The respect for each other totally changed, we showed respect, more care for each other. I think maybe it’s always been there, but when you’re working with people everyday, well, you don’t really see it, until you get something like this.
Something like this and you realise
how important the person next to you is,
and the things you all share,
the thoughts,
the feelings,
like on a night shift when you’ll share anything;
nurses and senior management all sharing
on the same level, and the work
is everybody’s.
And the community sharing spirit,
the donations, the food.
How heartwarming, how humbling
how people are sharing,
even when they’re not there
you sense community.
And you realise how important
the person next to you is
and the next
and the next
and the next,
and how much you care,
and that’s when you know,
we’re doing it together,
we’ll get through this together,
and that’s when you know,
we’ve got this.
As a result of the pandemic, people became more aware of how many people struggle with mental health. Those working in the medical field started to receive more attention, as “psychologists rush(ed) to help health care professionals,” given doctors and nurses the help they’ve needed for a long time. On a larger scale, it has become more accessible to receive care. Telehealth has gained traction, allowing people to meet with doctors even if they’re locked at home.
(Article Addressing Helping Medical Professionals: https://www.apa.org/topics/covid-19/health-care-professionals )
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