According to the county of San Diego website, as of April 28, there were 421 residents of Chula Vista with confirmed cases of COVID-19, rendering the city a local hotspot of the pandemic.
Doctor Paul Randolph is Director of the Scripps Health’s Employee Assistance Program (EAP) that serves all of Scripps’ 15,000 employees and 3,000 affiliated physicians across all of its San Diego campuses.
The Scripps Health website states there are 1,092 employees at the Chula Vista hospital campus, central to the pandemic.
Randolph says while many staff members are feeling very prepared to jump in and fight the virus, there are some others who have health concerns and are more cautious. However, he believes Scripps has a plan in place to care for the caregivers who may be under extra stress.
“Scripps Health provides significant behavioral health care services to its staff, their family members and to our physicians, including confidential, free EAP services, led by licensed psychologists and available throughout San Diego County. Our EAP services are available for personal issues, as well as job-related concerns,” Scripps Health Public Relations
Manager Steve Carpowich wrote in an email:
He also said longer-term mental health counseling services are available to employees through employer-sponsored insurance plans, as well as video-based Doctor-on-Demand counseling and psychotherapy.
He added that Scripps EAP offers mindfulness practice sessions online through Skype, an initiative that predates the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Mindfulness sessions have been recorded and have been made available for ongoing access by our employees for stress reduction and management.
We offer further direction to aid their stress-related mindfulness via smartphone apps,” Randolph wrote.
Specific to the COVID-19, he says any staff member who has a positive test result and wants assistance during their quarantine and/or isolation and beyond will be offered the EAP service for ongoing video or telephone support.
Randolph said he believes signals of community support also benefit caregivers.
“In many cases, what we’re hearing from workers treating patients is that they are ready and committed to caring for our patients at this incredibly important time, and they’re appreciative of the tremendous support they’ve received from the community, whether it’s food donations, signs and banners of appreciation, or having local police and fire departments stop by the hospital for a special salute,” Randolph wrote.
Scripps-affiliated Doctor Leah Welch added:
“They should also be thanked for what they’re doing, because it requires skill, empathy and courage. They are being heroic and they need to know they’re appreciated for what they’re putting themselves through by those of us not on the front lines.”
Welch suggested letting caregivers set the pace for how much they want to share.
“They’re accumulating small traumas and need time and space to sort them out, and that takes patience and a listening ear on the part of the provider. Rushing in too quickly with advice deprives them of making sense of their own experience,” Welch said.
In addition, she said it is important to keep an eye out for overuse of substances and other addictive behaviors, a suggestion echoed by Randolph, who said caregivers should:
“Get enough sleep and be careful to moderate use of alcohol and prescription medication for sleep. Exercise consistently, while maintaining social distancing. Stay connected to those we’re close to via zoom, skype, facetime or just a phone call. And reach outside of yourself to access the mental health care that’s available in the community.”
Welch added that fellow health care providers need to listen to what front line providers are saying, first and foremost.
“For colleagues trying to help front line health care providers, really your main job is to bear witness to their experiences and to hear their story, then secondarily to make sure they have a basic self-care plan to recover from what they’re doing each day.
Looking ahead to after the pandemic has lifted, Carpowich said some of the practices put in place under COVID-19 will likely continue.
“The need to provide video and telephonic-based services for psychotherapy, counseling and stress management such as mindfulness practice sessions during these times has bolstered our capabilities to continue to provide support to staff electronically. Many of these online services are likely to continue as part of our planning and services to support our staff.”
However, he maintains the best way to support health care workers is to slow the pandemic by minimizing contact with other people and maintaining social distancing.
“We need the public to understand the serious nature and possibility of spreading the virus. If we can minimize the spread of the virus, that will go a long way toward supporting our health care workers who are on the front line dealing with this pandemic,” Carpowich said.
