The COVID-19 pandemic has been a trying time for all of us, but perhaps none more so than those who have bravely and tirelessly served on the front lines – the heroic health care workers who work tirelessly to care for our communities. With so many people struggling to cope during these unprecedented times, it is sometimes easy to forget that those who care for and comfort us are also in need of support and comforting. The pandemic has been a demanding, overwhelming, heartbreaking, and exhausting experience for everyone. With that in mind, AHI wanted to provide some resources that may be of help. We encourage you to share this list with colleagues as both a show of support and a way to provide options to help reenergize their efforts.
The Emotional PPE Project: A directory that provides contact information of volunteer licensed mental health practitioners who provide free services to health care workers whose mental health has been impacted by the COVID-19 crisis.
Meditation, Mindfulness, and Yoga:
Down Dog: An app that offers personalized yoga, meditation, and other practices. The app is being offered at no cost to health care workers through July 1, 2021.
Headspace: A site that offers a collection of guided meditations and exercises for free to all employers and their employees.
Mindful: A site that offers a variety of mindfulness articles and guided meditation practice videos and podcasts, including the following two Mindful@Home videos featuring Dr. Mark Bertin:
Mindfulness for Health Care Workers Video 1
Mindfulness for Health Care Workers Video 2
TalkSpace: A site that offers several free mental health resources, including therapist-led Facebook support groups related to COVID-19, and mental health tips from therapists.
Physician Support Line: A free and confidential national support line service made up of volunteer psychiatrists who provide peer support for physicians. No appointment is necessary and the service is available from 8:00 a.m. – 1:00 a.m., seven days per week at 1-888-409-0141.
NY Project Hope: New York’s COVID emotional support hotline. The hotline, staffed with crisis counselors, can be reached at 1-844-863-9314.
PeerRxMed: A peer-to-peer program for physicians and other health care workers that provides support, connection, resources, and more to help combat burnout. Health care workers choose a partner and proceed through a process that provides prompts and guidance for weekly, monthly, and quarterly check-ins.
Relias: A site that provides tips to hospitals dealing with COVID-19 for integrating trauma-informed care.
