Today’s the day! The First Wave is now streaming on Hulu.

Plus, an exclusive Q+A with Dr. Nancy Messonnier. [View Online]( [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Forward]( Hi there, Our new film, THE FIRST WAVE, is an intimate look into the daily lives of the frontline healthcare workers in the trenches of the COVID-19 pandemic during its initial outbreak. We caught up with Dr. Nancy Messonnier, who was at the forefront of the CDC at the time, to ask her some of our most pressing questions about where to go from here and how we can help. Check it out below. - Your fellow Participants [The First Wave Trailer]( The First Wave: Now Streaming We’re happy to share that our new film directed by Academy Award®- nominated filmmaker Matthew Heineman, THE FIRST WAVE, is now streaming on Hulu. Filmed inside one of New York City’s hardest-hit hospitals during the first few months of the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s an important behind-the-scenes look into the daily tragedies that few besides our healthcare workers lived. As we grapple with one of humanity’s most difficult moments, it’s something we all need to see. “A breathtaking testament to the fight to live, the calling to heal, and the power of human connection.” - [The Hollywood Reporter]( [WATCH NOW]( While the film spotlights the heroic resilience of our healthcare workers, it also reminds us that they’re human, and they’re hurting. The COVID-19 pandemic has left them overworked, burnt out, and exhausted. Before Congress goes on recess for the holiday break, send a note to your representatives as they consider timely and important mental health protections and support for healthcare professionals in the Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act. Their wellbeing can’t wait. Without a strong and resilient medical community, we are all at risk. [TAKE ACTION]( [Headlines + Highlights] [Dr. Nancy Messonnier]( Q+A With Dr. Nancy Messonnier If you watched TOTALLY UNDER CONTROL, you may remember Rick Bright describing the moment when Dr. Nancy Messonnier, formerly the Director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases at the CDC, sounded the alarm for the first time in late February 2020 about how COVID-19 was about to cause severe disruption to our lives. Now as the Skoll Foundation’s Executive Director for Pandemic Prevention and Health Systems, we had the chance to ask her some of our most pressing questions. (We’ve edited her responses for brevity, but you can read the interview in full by clicking the link below.) Q. How long will the pandemic last? Are you hopeful for the future? It’s a mistake to try to predict the trajectory of this pandemic—the predictions made by many scientists have been incorrect. It’s also a mistake to think that one day it will all just be over—Delta and Omicron are cases in point. We need to learn to live with this virus and accept the fact that the risk will not go down to zero—much like with many other common respiratory viruses. However, I do believe that we can manage to live alongside it and find ways to modify our behaviors, when necessary, to keep the risk low. Moving forward, I hope that we will be able to better understand how interconnected the entire world is and the deep need for basic scientific literacy. Q. What kind of impact has the pandemic had on frontline healthcare workers? Frontline healthcare workers have been in the trenches fighting this pandemic from the beginning. After nearly two years, the healthcare workforce is decimated and hospitals are short-staffed. I’ve talked to friends who practice clinical medicine who agonize over the fact that they are not able to provide optimal patient care. They talk about how hard it is to have compassion for patients who could have prevented their illness had they gotten vaccinated and followed masking and social distancing guidelines. Q. What is one thing about mental health and healthcare workers that you wish more people knew? It might seem simplistic to say this but healthcare workers are human and suffer the same stresses and mental health challenges, like depression and anxiety, as we all do. The important difference is that the stresses that healthcare workers experience are magnified by their responsibilities for the lives of others. Unfortunately, healthcare workers frequently do not feel they can report their mental health challenges for fear of impacting their careers and peers’ perceptions of them. Healthcare workers choose to go into healthcare because they want to care for others and, generally, they are incredibly resilient, but they are not superhuman. Q. What are some of the unforeseen consequences the pandemic has had on the healthcare sector? Too many providers are walking away or choosing to take jobs that are less stressful, less busy, less consuming. Healthcare workers closer to retirement are thinking of retiring early. We will suffer immeasurably as a society if we lose their caring capacity and many years of experience. This is even more pronounced in the Global South where healthcare workers have less access to personal protective equipment and vaccines and where there are fewer of them caring for growing numbers of patients. Q. What are your hopes for the future of our healthcare system? I hope we will take this opportunity to think more systematically about our healthcare system, both in the U.S. and globally, and enact reforms that treat healthcare workers as the life-saving heroes that they are. This pandemic should also remind us how important the bonds are between a patient and their primary care providers, who are trusted by their patients to help them make healthcare decisions like getting vaccinated. The U.S. healthcare system should do more to ensure that primary care providers are well-equipped and -treated and adequately compensated--and that primary healthcare is available to everyone. [READ THE FULL INTERVIEW]( Like this email? [Forward to a friend]( or share on [Facebook]( or [Twitter](. Feedback? Reply and let us know what you think. Participants wanted. You are not a viewer. These are your stories. You are a Participant. [GET INVOLVED]( Participant is the leading media company dedicated to entertainment that inspires and compels social change. Founded in 2004 by Jeff Skoll, Participant's content combines the power of a good story well told with opportunities for real-world impact and awareness around the most pressing global issues of our time. 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