In the nearly two years since COVID-19 was declared a pandemic, healthcare workers have faced uncertainty, long hours, angry patients, and a status that has swung from “hero” to largely forgotten.
Marita Hattem-Schiffman is the president of MyMichigan Health in Gratiot county. She said pandemic stress has taken its toll on workers and is likely to change healthcare into the future.
“Our healthcare workforce is exhausted. And I don’t think that when this pandemic is over, we’re just going to go back to looking like we did before. And I don’t know what that looks like. That’s really where we as healthcare leaders need to be focusing now.”
Her hospital has tried everything from incentive pay to silly things like a rubber duck hunt to keep workers’ spirits from falling, however there’s only so much they can do against the exhaustion. She said the public can help keep healthcare workers’ spirits up by simply doing what they’ve been repeatedly asked to do, get vaccinated and wear a mask.