.
. IT'S
. IT'S NATIONAL NURSES WEEK SELLING THIS WEEK'S MENTAL
HEALTH AND ME WE'RE FOCUSING ON
NURSES AND UNIQUE MENTAL HEALTH
CHALLENGES THAT THEY HAVE FACED
THROUGHOUT THE PANDEMIC AND
JOINING US NOW IS SARAH REITER,
A PSYCHIATRIC NURSE
PRACTITIONER AT U.S. HEALTH
CENTER FOR DEPENDENCY ADDICTION
AND REHABILITATION.
SO SARAH, THANK YOU FOR BEING
WITH US .
JUST IS THERE ANY WAY IN JUST A
FEW WORDS YOU CAN DESCRIBE WHAT
THIS LAST HAS BEEN LIKE FOR YOU
AND YOUR COLLEAGUES?
WELL, FIRST OF ALL, THANK YOU
SO MUCH FOR HAVING ME TODAY.
I REALLY APPRECIATE IT.
I WOULD SAY THE WORDS THAT COME
TO MIND OVER THIS PAST YEAR
UNCERTAINTY, CREATIVITY,
TEAMWORK, A LITTLE BIT OF HUMOR
THROWN IN THE UNCERTAINTY AT
THE BEGINNING OF THE PANDEMIC
IS REALLY AROUND FOR ME AND
MY COLLEAGUES WORKING IN A
COMMUNAL SETTING.
I WORK IN A SUBSTANCE USE
TREATMENT FACILITY WHERE A GOOD
PORTION OF THE TREATMENT
INVOLVES THE COMMUNITY BEING
TOGETHER AND SO WE HAD TO BE
CREATIVE IN PROVIDING CARE TO
OUR PATIENTS AND PREVENTION SO
DOING THINGS LIKE GOING
OUTDOORS, MORE APPOINTMENTS, WE
HAVE A HEALING LIBRARY THAT WE
CAN BRING TO PATIENTS ROOMS
PATIENTS SIGN UP FOR A MEETINGS
THAT ARE WORLD WIDE SO DO A
TOUR AND THEN REALLY JUST
THE TEAM EVERYONE JUMPING IN
AND HELPING EACH OTHER WHICH WE
ALREADY ARE IN A COLLABORATIVE
FIELD.
BUT I THINK THE PANDEMIC HAS
REALLY DEEPENED THOSE
RELATIONSHIPS.
SO IN SOME RESPECTS THAT PART
IS GOOD TO HEAR BUT WE KNOW
NURSES ARE REALLY THE ULTIMATE
CAREGIVERS.
I MEAN THAT'S WHAT YOU DO AND
THERE'S SO MUCH COMPASSION WITH
NURSES.
SO HOW ARE THEY TAKING CARE OF
THEMSELVES?
WELL, THIS IS A GREAT QUESTION
AND IT'S SOMETHING LIKE A LOT
OF COMPONENTS OF THE PANDEMIC
WE'VE SEEN SELF CARE , MENTAL
HEALTH ISSUES IN NURSING HAVE
BEEN PRESENT FOR A LONG TIME
AND WE'RE JUST SEEING IT SORT
OF RISE TO THE SURFACE IN
THE SAME WAY THAT WE'VE SEEN
HEALTH DISPARITIES AND ECONOMIC
DISPARITIES THIS PAST YEAR.
AND I THINK, YOU KNOW, THE BEST
ANSWER TO THAT IS TO PUT IT
BACK ON THE SYSTEM.
HOW IS THE SYSTEM TAKING
CARE OF US OFTEN WHEN PEOPLE
ARE IN CRISIS AND IT'S A
CHAOTIC TIME SELF CARE IT CAN
BE A WORLD WHERE IT SOUNDS LIKE
ANOTHER TASK TO CHECK OFF OUR
LIST AND THEN THESE FEELINGS
OF GUILT ARISE LIKE OH I'M NOT
DOING THIS AND I'M ALSO NOT
TAKING CARE OF MYSELF.
AND SO THE WAY THAT
THE AMERICAN NURSES ASSOCIATION
IS LOOKING AT THIS IS WE REALLY
NEED TO MAKE SYSTEM LEVEL
CHANGES AND REALLY START
THINKING ABOUT THIS MORE AS
LESS AS CRISIS TREATMENT AND
MORE AS PREVENTION.
THAT WOULD MAKE SENSE WHEN WE
TALK ABOUT THE ISOLATION WE'VE
ALL SUFFERED FROM THE EFFECTS
OF ISOLATION AND THEN OUR
CAREGIVERS ARE THE ONES THAT
ARE KNOWING HOW MUCH WE'RE ALL
WANTING TO BE TOGETHER,
ESPECIALLY IF SOMEBODY IS ILL
BUT IT IMPACTS ALL OF YOUR
MENTAL HEALTH.
THAT ISOLATION PIECE.
YES.
SO WE HAVE A SAYING IN
RECOVERY THAT THE OPPOSITE
OF ADDICTION IS CONECTION AND
I THINK THAT'S TRUE FOR
RECOVERY IN MANY DIFFERENT WAYS
RECOVERY FROM SUBSTANCE USE,
RECOVERY FROM DEPRESSION,
RECOVERY FROM STRESS AND IT HAS
BEEN TRICKY BECAUSE OUR OLD
SORT OF BCA2 METHODS
OF CONECTION HAVE NOT BEEN
THERE.
AND SO THAT'S AGAIN WHERE THIS
CREATIVITY COMES IN AND WE SEE
LIKE YOU KNOW, ZOOME DINNERS
WITH FRIENDS AND THINGS LIKE
THAT.
SO THAT DEFINITELY HAS HAS AND
CHALLENGING AND I THINK THAT
FOR A LOT OF HEALTH
CARE WORKERS IT'S BEEN YOU
KNOW, THE STRESS OF BEING AT
WORK AND THEN COMING HOME AND
NOT HAVING THE THE NORMAL GO TO
STRESSFULLY RELIEVERS THAT WE
NORMALLY WOULD HAVE.
YEAH, NO KIDDING.
WELL, WE THANK YOU WE DON'T
THANK YOU ENOUGH BUT WE SAY
THANK YOU TO ALL OF OUR HEALTH
CARE WORKERS AND ESPECIALLY IN
THIS NURSES WEEK.
SO SARAH, THANK YOU FOR SHINING
LIGHT AND ESPECIALLY IN YOUR
WORK WITH ADDICTION AND