Healthcare Workers’ Parallel Pandemic: Chronic Stress It’s no surprise that doctors and nurses who go to work in an active battle zone, will, at some point, start to feel anxious, worried, and stressed. This battle combatant is a wildly contagious disease called COVID-19. Doctors, nurses, aides, medical techs, clerks, environmental service workers feel threatened for their lives by just doing their jobs. And it is not clear if Americans really appreciate the level of risk, exposure and selflessness that all medical workers do for all of us. When I worked in a busy inner-city ER, I felt rushed, stressed and at times, worried for my safety: every now and then, some patient would come after a nurse or doctor with a knife or gun. But in comparison to treating patients with COVID? No comparison—treating patients with a highly contagious disease and with patients that are really ill, is way, way harder. My heart goes out to all healthcare workers. The way we can support healthcare workers is by masking-up and keeping our distance. Selected Except: “We put on our masks and come to work every day because we don’t have the luxury of working from home in our pajamas, but the apathy and ennui that’s taken hold of society just makes our job feel thankless. It’s so demoralizing.” …see more