'Invisible Wounds': Frontline Health Workers Need Time To Recover

Also: new research on how the brain responds to disability; signs that increased drinking has become an addiction ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  [View in Browser]( | [Donate [WBUR]]( [WBUR](  [WBUR]( June 22, 2020 Good afternoon, It's time to check in on the frontline health care workers in your lives. Experts say they likely really need you right now, maybe even more than during the state's surge. As they're trying to recharge before a potential rise in cases in the fall, they're slowing down and have more time to process traumatic experiences from last few months. That can be really difficult and lonely. To better understand the mental health challenges hospital and health workers may be facing, consider this parallel between the COVID-19 frontline in local hospitals and a military deployment, as explained by retired Brigadier General Jack Hammond: "This is not dissimilar — when you see thousands of people die in very rough ways, in a very chaotic environment, and then suddenly it's over," he said. "And so when they have time to reflect upon some of the things that they witnessed and experienced, that's when it's probably going to affect them the most." Read the story below to learn more about what recovery can look like, how long it may take and what resources are available to help frontline workers in your life. — Meagan McGinnes, Newsletter editor newsletters@wbur.org The Rundown url['Invisible Wounds': Frontline Health Workers Face Recovery Period That Could Last Months]( Some compare frontline medical staffers to soldiers coming off of a tough tour of duty, and say they may find psychological symptoms — from anxiety to depression to conflict — emerging as they now process what they've been though. [Read more.](   #%23%23[Twitter](  #%23%23[Facebook](    [Infectious Disease Expert Weighs In On The State's Latest Phase Of Reopening]( Dr. David Hamer is a professor of global health and medicine at Boston University, and an infectious disease specialist at Boston Medical Center. He joined WBUR to weigh in on the risks and implications as Massachusetts reopens for business today. [Read more.]( - Related: [Yes, Wearing Masks Helps. Here's Why](  [A Scientist's Pink Cast Leads To Discovery About How The Brain Responds To Disability]( The study shows that "within a few days, we can rearrange some of the most fundamental, most basic functional relationships of the brain." It suggests it is possible to reverse brain changes caused by disuse of a limb after a stroke or brain injury. [Read more.](  [Inside Boston Hospitals, A Reckoning With Racism]( Residents at Brigham and Women's, Massachusetts General Hospital and Boston Medical Center are circulating petitions with specific requests. They include: providing equal care and equal access to care for patients covered by Medicaid, hiring more Black and underrepresented minority clinicians and changing the hospitals’ use of security. [Read more.](  [Drinking Has Surged During The Pandemic. Do You Know The Signs Of Addiction?]( There are some objective measures of problematic drinking. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention defines heavy drinking as 15 or more drinks a week for a man or eight or more for a woman. But the more important clues come from changes in behavior. [Read more.]( WBUR Town Hall Tomorrow at 6 p.m.: [COVID-19 And The Presidential Election]( Will the Trump administrations handling of the pandemic improve his chances of reelection? Or will the missteps and misinformation coming from the president harm him? WBUR senior political reporter Anthony Brooks discusses how the pandemic could affect the outcome of the November election with WBUR senior news correspondent Kimberly Atkins, Republican consultant Shermichael Singleton and a Democratic consultant to be announced. [Advance registration is requested.]( Commentary [What It's Like To Help Families Say Goodbye]( As a hospital chaplain, I have the privilege of visiting patients in their rooms, writes Bridget Power. I hear the steady rhythm of the ventilators. I witness the care with which the respiratory therapists turn patients’ bodies from supine to prone and back again.      Did you know cows may play an important role in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic? [No bull.]( 😎 Forward to a friend. They can sign up [here](. 📣 Give us your feedback: newsletters@wbur.org 📨 Get more WBUR stories sent to your inbox. [Check out all of our newsletter offerings.]( [WBUR]( [WBUR]  [WBUR]( [95289b97-66e8-43d4-a174-3bc3520a79a9.png]( [Instagram](  [Twitter]( [Facebook]( Want to change how you receive these emails? [Stop getting this newsletter by updating your preferences.]( I don't want to hear from WBUR anymore. [Unsubscribe from all newsletters](. Interested in learning more about corporate sponsorship? [Click here.]( Copyright © 2020 WBUR-FM, All rights reserved. You signed up for this newsletter at wbur.org. Our mailing address is: WBUR-FM 890 Commonwealth AveBoston, MA 02215-1205 [Add us to your address book](