As front-line workers emerge from months of chaos in their workplaces, mental health experts are already noticing a massive surge in mental health needs, reports Bridge Magazine in Michigan.
Addressing those needs will require a monumental effort from a health care system that, historically, has fallen far short of addressing workers’ mental health needs.
“In the past, health care systems have not done a good job at all,” said Jed Magen, chair of the Michigan State University Department of Psychiatry. “In fact, they’ve minimized the stress and strain on health care workers.”
Even before the pandemic, unmet mental health and wellness needs were a major challenge in healthcare professions, Magen said, driven largely by an institutional culture of stoicism and self-reliance, and a prioritization of productivity at all costs.
