BRATTLEBORO, Vt. (WCAX) – The pandemic has shined a light on the challenges health care and service workers face in dealing with their own mental health. Now, Brattleboro Retreat is expanding its programs to further support these and other professionals.
“My diagnoses were things like PTSD, depression, anxiety, and most recently burnout, so the program for first responders really resonated with me,” she said. said Marina Caesar, a large animal veterinarian who travels to provide care. She struggles with her own mental health, and as her health care provider, she says people sometimes forget to check in on her when she's feeling down. She says, “The more you do it, the more things are asked of you. It can be easy to think, 'Oh, Marina would do it,' or 'She can't say no.' I think they think we're superhuman. ”
Cesar learned about the medical profession and first responder programs at Brattleboro Retreat. The service is available to people in Vermont, New Hampshire and Massachusetts and includes therapy sessions via Zoom and four or six weeks of inpatient care.
The center decided to expand its reach as mental health issues among service providers and caregivers have intensified during the pandemic. The program expanded two years ago to include nurses, doctors and other hospital professionals.
“Before the pandemic, we served police officers, firefighters, EMTs, and veterans. During the pandemic, we had to close for a period of time. Then, when we reopened, we knew we needed to expand our services and expand our reach: bring in more nurses, more medical professionals,” said Jessica, the program's psychologist. Tamronis said. Lawyers and veterinarians like Cesar are also participating, she said.
During the pandemic, Brattleboro Retreat itself lost 50% of its nursing staff. Holly Galbraith, Director of Nursing Operations, says there should be more programs like this for healthcare workers. “This is something that has been ignored for years and years and years. The mental toll it takes on people who witness trauma every day. The pandemic has, in a way, put a magnifying glass on it,” she said. .
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