Hi Ranty Nation!  Ranty McRantyson har agin!

Ah know it still be part of the Holiday Season an all an fur many it’s a durned hard time specially in 2020.  The holidays, fur all that theys sposed to be bout bein thankful fur whut we got an happyness wit our families an the birthday of Jesus an lookin furward to the New Year, fur many, they’s really strugglin, specially this year.

The Toll on Healthcare Wurkers

Ah was reminded bout this earlier this week while talkin to a close personal friend of mine who wurks in an Emergency Room (ER) har in Tennessee.  As y’all may know, Tennessee’s bin hit specially hard by COVID-19 over the last month or so.  In fact, at one point Tennessee was the wurst state in the country fur how fast COVID-19 was spreadin.

When we dun be sick, quite often we’all go to the doctor’s office, an “urgent care clinic”, or even an ER.  I gotta tell you, them folks in healthcare are gittin “slammed” right now cuz of COVID-19.  Unfurtunately durin the Holidays, they’s a lot of folks who git sick, an even more unfurtunately, even die.  An COVID-19’s makin thangs even wurse.

An we’all might be thunkin, “Well, that’s whut they dun signed up fur when they’s got into that profession.”  An, in a way, y’all might be right.  But that don’t change the emotional stress they be under.

Y’see, they do see a lot of sickness an death in they’s job, sumtimes even ever day.  An even still, I hope y’all can imagine that even they’s “normal” seein of the sick an dyin can take a toll on even the most self-controlled purson.

An even tho they entered a profession in whut theys gonna see that ever day, this’n wurse than they ever dun expect to see.  All of a sudden, they’s thrown into the deep end wit sumthin they’s didn’t have the tools to deal wit an now they’s seein many more sick an dyin folk then they’s used to.  They’s number of patients’re growin faster than they’s folk trained to take care of them.  Cuz of this they’s wurkin more hours, often fur less pay, even though they’s lives’re literally on the line.

Folk in the military have this problem too, an sum of the problems that come wit situations in whut they see more’n most folk can handle cause whut’s called Post Traumatic Stress Disorder or PTSD.  Ah hate to say it, but theys gonna be a lot of folk in healthcare who dun gonna need to be treated fur this after COVID-19 gits mostly under control an thangs git back to whut we’all’ll call a “new normal”.

Not only are they dealin wit sick folk an the financial stress of pay cuts an more wurk, they’s also wurried bout gittin themselfs an they’s family an friends sick to boot!  Ah’m shure ah don’t need to say it, but can y’all imagine havin to wurry that ever day y’all went to wurk, y’all might be bringin back COVID-19 whut might kill sumone y’all know?

It’s wurse fur healthcare wurkers cuz they’all be bein exposed to very sick COVID-19 folk an often havin to git right up close, so the “viral load” theys exposed to is much higher than fur regular folk.  Sure, they’s got, fur the most part, better “Personal Protective Equipment” (PPE), but in many cases, they’s also havin to wear the same mask fur multiple wurk shifts.  Yah, they can git them “sterilized” tween shifts, but it ain’t the same as gittin a new mask fur ever patient like theys used to be able to do.

On top of that, while fur the amount of exposure theys gittin, theys keepin purty healthy, but theys still gittin sick.  An wit all the folk who be gittin the bad long-term health effects of COVID-19 (called “long COVID”), sum’re havin to go on disability.  An y’all can imagine that the more of them who dun git sick an, possibly, disabled, the fewer folk they’re gonna be to take care of anyone who dun git sick in the future.  Thangs’re so bad in some parts of the country, ah’ve heard tell of hospitals that’re askin folk who dun tested positive fur COVID-19 an are still sick to come in to work takin care of COVID-19 patients.

The Bottom Line

It takes time to train new healthcare techs, EMTs, nurses, doctors, an other folk who make up our healthcare system.  This means they ain’t no quick solution to this problem, whut’s probly gonna be round fur at least nuther year or more.  Thing’ll start gittin better in 2-6 months, but they’s still gonna be a problem fur awhile.

In the meantime, healthcare wurkers all over the country’re tired, stressed, an, quite frankly, hurtin.  Hurtin both emotionally an physically.

Quite frankly, theys need our help, jus like they’all help us when we need it!

Whut Can We’all Do?

Well, it depends.  Ah don’t recommend whippin up a batch of yur best food cuz they may not have the time to eat it (it gits purty busy in them hospitals at times) or theys might have rules aginst takin food durin a pandemic, as y’all might imagine.  However, even sendin a card or a $5 or $10 gift card to sumone y’all know who wurks in healthcare might be helpful.

As wit all thangs, whut we can give depends on whut we dun have.  Sumtimes we’all have more time than money an sumtimes more money than time.  But just sayin “thanks fur all that you’re doin” can go a long way to givin them the emotional support they might be needin.

Y’all might consider contactin the doctor’s office, urgent care clinic, hospital, etc. to see if they might have a suggestion as to whut y’all can give to help them out.  Talk to a manager/administrator.  Even goin in wit sum other folk to buy a meal fur the entire “group” (ER, office, patient floor (sometimes called a “ward”), janitorial folk, etc.) might go over well.

Regardless of whutever y’all can give, one thang that ah’ve found is always welcome is a heartfelt “thank you fur whut y’all’re doin”.

Ah sincerely hope y’all’re safe an healthy durin this holiday season, but if’n y’all, or sumone y’all know, ain’t, then ah hope y’all git better soon!

Ranty McRantyson signin off!

PS.  An we shudn’t furget the “support” folk who wurk in those same places.  They maybe ain’t directly savin lives, but theys providin the supportin wurk to make sure thems that do save the lives can “git er dun”.  This includes the janitors, lab, accountin, logistics, radiology, social wurkers, etc. folk.  Theys need support too cuz they’s jobs’re important, jus not as visible to the patients or the public!