Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Health Care Workers Grappling With Immense Emotional Toll Of Battling On Front Lines Of Virus War
The Washington Post: Health-Care Workers Treating Coronavirus Patients Struggle With Burnout, Depression
Marc Ayoub remembers the woman in her 50s who came alone to the emergency room. She went into cardiac arrest and was hooked up to a ventilator. Ayoub, a resident at hard-hit Elmhurst Hospital in Queens, tried to reach her family all night, and when he finally connected with her daughter, he had only bad news. As he stood in his spacesuit of protective gear, holding his phone in front of the woman’s face so her daughter might see her one last time, Ayoub was indignant that this is what death had become during the coronavirus pandemic. (Cha, Buarino and Wan, 6/7)
Modern Healthcare: Joint Commission Releases Strategies To Address Employee Well-Being
Healthcare workers have been under heightened levels of stress as they cope with challenges associated with COVID-19 such as lack of personal protective equipment, fear of getting infected and reduction of staff due to furloughs or layoffs. In its guidance, the Joint Commission said its "critical" healthcare employers "have systems in place that support institutional and individual resilience" as a result of the pandemic. (Castellucci, 6/5)
Kaiser Health News: Exclusive: Nearly 600 — And Counting — US Health Workers Have Died Of COVID-19
Nearly 600 front-line health care workers appear to have died of COVID-19, according to Lost on the Frontline, a project launched by The Guardian and KHN that aims to count, verify and memorialize every health care worker who dies during the pandemic. (Jewett, Bailey and Renwick, 6/6)
The Associated Press: Infections Spike Among New Mexico Health Care Workers
Data from the New Mexico Health Department shows COVID-19 infections among health care workers in the state have spiked as intensive care units remain full and nurses call for more protective equipment. The data shows 492 workers were diagnosed in May, marking a 219% increase from the 154 workers who tested positive as of April 21. (6/8)
Modern Healthcare: Hospital Job Losses Shrink In May, A Positive Sign For Recovery
Federal employment data show the healthcare industry is entering a promising recovery. While hospitals still lost jobs in May, they did so at about one-fifth the level of the prior month. Hospitals shed 26,700 jobs last month, preliminary data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics show. While far from normal, it's not nearly as steep as the BLS' estimate that they lost 135,000 jobs at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in April. (Bannow, 6/5)
KQED: SF Pledges $1 Million In Grants For Small Child Care Providers
Esperanza Estrada has been operating Estrada's Family Preschool in San Francisco's Excelsior District for nearly 18 years, serving small groups of children from primarily low-income backgrounds. But since the COVID-19 pandemic began, and businesses like hers were forced to shut down, Estrada said things have been tough. (Wiley, 6/5)
