Emerson White 0:14
These are the sounds of the Northside Gwinnett hospital’s emergency room. During the Covid-19 Pandemic, Mary Austin Hacker hears this sound every day, often several times. This sound means her patient is dying.
Emerson White 0:38
Hacker works as an emergency care technician for the Emergency Services Department at Northside Gwinnett, the only hospital serving Gwinnett County's million plus population. This noise lets hacker know that her patient has gone into cardiac arrest. Respiratory illnesses such as COVID-19 can lead to direct heart damage due to lack of oxygen. COVID-19 causes inflammation in the lungs, which means less oxygen can reach the bloodstream. This makes the heart work harder to pump blood through the body, and can ultimately result in cardiac arrest, according to Hopkins Medicine. Hacker has been working on the frontline since March of 2020. And has continued throughout the duration of the pandemic.
Mary Austin 1:27
In the beginning, we like… Lord so much has changed.
Emerson White 1:34
This is what Hacker said when discussing the transition from March of 2020 to March of 2021. This year has not been an easy one for her.
Mary Austin 1:46
So then it started to be like a delay in patient care. And it was just like it was an overwhelming and it still is I mean things are a lot better now like we don't have like I don't come in and all the patients I left 12 hours before are still there.
Emerson White 2:03
Hacker also expressed the emotional effects this pandemic has had on her and her coworkers.
Mary Austin 2:09
It's been an emotional roller coaster this past year, I was talking to one of my friends like you've never like watch someone just die in front of you.
Emerson White 2:22
And Hacker was not the only one struggling with these isolating effects. Throughout the pandemic frontline workers are among the most vulnerable groups at risk for mental health problems. Elsevier’s public health emergency collection recently published a rapid systematic review of 55 studies looking at the psychological impact of COVID-19 and other epidemics on frontline health care workers. In this systematic review of over 32 studies on the psychological impact of epidemics, the most common psychiatric disorders associated were post-traumatic stress syndrome, depression, and anxiety. Frontline workers are not only facing psychiatric disorders, but have also faced physical symptoms. Throughout the covid 19 pandemic 42% of frontline nurses identified with symptoms such as headaches, throat pain, and lethargy. These physical symptoms that frontline workers have faced were also significantly associated with psychological outcomes. The symptoms also included sleep disorders, such as insomnia. The review concluded that the need to manage these emerging mental health issues among healthcare workers during this pandemic is imperative. Mary Austin's mother Shelley Hacker initially worried most about her daughter's safety, working in an environment with so much sickness. However, as the pandemic wore on, she grew more concerned with the toll of social isolation on her daughter. The massive strain that has been placed on the healthcare industry throughout this pandemic has ultimately trickled down to frontline workers said Yale PhD student Rachel Heinen. These physical and psychological side effects are not only affecting frontline healthcare workers. They are also affecting public transit workers, restaurant employees, and grocery store clerks just the same. Essential workers no matter the field have stepped up in a time of national crisis. These workers have saved countless lives and been there at a time when the country needed them most.