Black nurses have dispoportionate death rate, struggle with mental health support while battling Covid-19

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Mon, 2021-02-22 11:01 — mike kraft

'Absolutely defeated': Black nurses struggle with mental health support while battling Covid-19 The stress of taking care of Covid-19 patients has Black nurses in need of mental health care -- but getting it can be a challenge. Megan Marples, CNN CNN

Nurses are often the first medical professionals a patient will see, and most nurses have a great deal of contact with patients throughout their care, said Maysa Akbar, chief diversity officer at the American Psychological Organization.

In addition to the stress they face as medical professionals, Black people are generally more likely to have feelings of sadness, hopelessness and worthlessness than White adults, according to Mental Health America.

Black nurses are also dying from the virus at a disproportionate rate. Almost 18% of the US nurses who have died from Covid-19 and related complications as of September were Black, but Blacks make up only 12% of the nurse population, according to National Nurses United. ...

Last December, the National Black Nurses Association launched RE:SET, a free mental health program for nurses. The program's goal is to teach nurses how to relieve the stresses they're facing in healthy ways and connect them to mental health resources, said Millicent Gorham, the association's executive director.

The program has a series of videos and podcasts centered around relieving stress and seeking professional help when you need it that are free to everyone.

Members of NBNA get the additional benefit of free counseling services. Nurses receive five free sessions per wellness issue they're facing.

If a nurse needs to communicate with a mental health professional while on a break to "simply blow off steam because they're seeing too many things within the hospital," they have access to an unlimited number of telephone calls and text messages to do that, Gorham said...

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