WATCH: COVID-19 Impacts on Health Care Workers and PA as a Trauma-Informed State

CHESTER COUNTY, PA — With the health care industry projecting that pandemic-induced PTSD and other psychological impacts are the next health crisis, HR professionals from across industries, as well as health care workers and administrators, gathered for COVID-19 Impacts on Healthcare Workers and PA as a Trauma-Informed State.

The virtual conference was held Wednesday, April 21, 2021 from 8am-10am, by the Chester County Economic Development Council and its Health Care Connect initiative. A complete video of the forum is available now.

“What can employers do to support health care and non-health care employees now and in the wake of COVID-19? What issues can they expect to face – and for how long? Why is Pennsylvania becoming a ‘trauma-informed state’ and what does that mean for employers, workers and other residents? These are among the issues we addressed, along with the latest on vaccine distribution and its impacts,” says Dr. Claire Mooney, DNP, MBA, RN, CCRN, NEA-BC. Mooney is Chair of Health Care Connect and President and CEO of Jennersville and Brandywine Hospitals/Tower Health.

Representing the Commonwealth was Dan Jurman, Executive Director of Pennsylvania’s Office of Advocacy and Reform. Jurman addressed a wide range of issues, including what all employers should know as Pennsylvania moves through the process of becoming a trauma-informed state.

The issue of frontline fatigue was examined in depth by Bill Belmonte, BA, RN, CEN, NEA-BC. Belmonte is Emergency Department Nurse Manager at Paoli Hospital/Main Line Health, Chester County’s only certified trauma center. Also speaking was Karen Oxler, MS MSN, RN, former Deputy Surgeon General of Navy Medicine and currently the Executive Director at Philadelphia’s VA, the Corporal Michael J. Crescenz VA Medical Center. Oxler addressed treatment of frontline fatigue and examined the moral distress and PTSD that health care workers and administrators are experiencing.

You can watch the complete video of “COVID-19 Impacts on Healthcare Workers and PA as a Trauma-Informed State on YouTube here.

In addition, listen to coverage by KYW News Radio and watch an interview with NBC10 News.

For the latest news on everything happening in Chester County and the surrounding area, be sure to follow MyChesCo on Google News.