The SARS-CoV2 virus, also known as COVID-19, has wreaked havoc on the economy for more than a year now. Businesses in different sectors are drastically affected, resulting in soaring unemployment rates on a worldwide scale. However, the sector that takes the full brunt of the crisis is the healthcare industry.
Doctors, nurses, and health volunteers play the most crucial role. They try to save the lives of those infected and do their best to provide relief. And they do all that while keeping themselves and their loved ones safe.
The crisis escalates further when health workers are infected. One missing health worker is already too much because it means there might be two or more COVID-19 patients that will be left untreated.
With that in mind, protecting the health workers should be given great importance. Everyone should go the extra mile of showing appreciation. To do that, people need to understand their sacrifices. This article aims to show some of them so that you can value and appreciate health workers more.
The Sacrifices of Healthcare Workers During the Pandemic
No list is enough to count all these. The sacrifices and sorrows of health workers are far too many. And this is where people can come in and do their share. And it is not only about giving money or things. But also, sending appreciation and saying a little prayer can go a long way.
Being away from the family over a certain period is enough. But having to take care of a dying patient while thinking about your children at home is already a sad picture. This includes mental health issues health workers had to deal with. They develop anxiety, depression, and insomnia as they go along. Add the fact that there are hospitals that still lack personal protective equipment.
Despite the challenges, support pours in and eases their burden.
Government Support
At the beginning of the pandemic, the government played its role. State governments, the US Congress, and other government agencies worked together. They adopted different policies to ease the financial burden on health care providers. Congress also waived the 2% automatic reduction in Medicare payment. This aims to provide further financial protection for the US health industry. It was supposed to be reinstated last April but decided to delay it until the end of 2021.
Health care workers were also given eligibility and access to loans, including the Paycheck Protection Program or PPP. This also includes eligibility for other loan programs. One of them is the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, also known as CARES.
The American Rescue Plan or ARP also received additional funds, including $8.5 billion for rural health workers and $7.6 billion for health centers in different communities. Two hundred million dollars were given to support infection control and vaccination. Private groups also linked themselves to reputable organizations that provided certified nursing assistant (CNA) training.
Family Support
There have been many stories about this. Family members show love, patience, and understanding to health workers. Some of them are parents of small children, spouses, and even new moms. They sacrificed their longing for affection to protect their families from the virus.
Some dads work in the hospitals then go home only to stay in the garage. Parents who don’t go home at all decide to stay in hotels and rental apartments. There is even the story of a nurse who just gave birth. Then decided to isolate and self-quarantine for 14 days. She pumped breast milk to be picked up by her husband so the baby would have food. But do you imagine the sacrifice of being away from your baby right after giving birth?
There are many other stories. They show how families of health workers supported each other. Such understanding and patience motivated many health care providers. As a result, more lives were saved, and many recovered from the disease.
Social Media
The overwhelming love and support through social media posts have been encouraging. The global reach of the internet became helpful. It saw people from all over the world posting words of encouragement. These include actors, popular bands, athletes, and other celebrities. Tweeting and posting love and support to medical workers provides that emotional boost. Even apps where health workers were able to sing and dance received millions of hearts and likes. Social media has been a proven tool that helps everyone cope up with the pandemic.
Now that we know their joys and sorrows, we can do our part in sharing in their crossroads. Healthcare volunteers, doctors, and nurses did sign up for the job. It includes the dangers that come with it. But the physical, emotional, and mental burden caused by the pandemic is too much for them to carry.
People now have the power to help carry that burden. You can do it in your own little way. If you have the means and resources, sending food is good. And providing personal protective equipment is valuable. If not, sending random words of encouragement will mean so much.
But most of all, doing your part in following health protocols goes a long way. Washing your hands, social distancing, and not touching your face is a significant step. Not being one of the coronavirus patients means one less patient. And when readers of this blog stay healthy, it means more people are relieving health workers of stress and sorrow.
