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COVID-19: Resources for Healthcare Providers and Front Line Personnel

Hotlines, “warm lines” and other ways to connect

Tools for Providers:

Daily life and death decisions, fear, anxiety and physical demands of frontline healthcare personnel during the COVID-19 crisis will undoubtedly take a toll both short and long term. There are resources available to providers and healthcare organizations that can address these concerns to support career longevity, job satisfaction and overall well-being in the workforce. Information on how to plan, mitigate and respond to collective and individual trauma is provided below.

Training

  • Psychological First Aid and Skills for Psychological Recovery: Developed by the National Center for PTSD and the National Child Traumatic Stress Network. These free online trainings are designed for providers to help survivors gain skills to manage distress and cope with post-disaster stress and adversity. This course is for individuals who want to learn about using SPR, learning the goals and rationale of each core skill, delivering SPR, and supporting survivors in the aftermath of a disaster or traumatic event.
  • Mental Health First Aid: Mental Health First Aid USA is listed in the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s National Registry of Evidence-based Programs and Practices. This 8-hour interactive training provides the participant with the tools they need to help friends, loved ones, co-workers and others cope with mental illness. Participants also learn how to refer and seek help when professional attention is warranted.
  • Compassion Fatigue and the Behavioral Health Workforce Curriculum Infusion Package: This 5-part Curriculum Infusion Package (CIP) on Compassion Fatigue and the Behavioral Health Workforce was developed in 2020 by the Pacific Southwest Addiction Technology Transfer Center (PSATTC). Part 1 provides a brief overview of the behavioral health workforce and associated shortages, and introduces the demands on the workforce. Part 2 focuses on compassion fatigue and secondary traumatic stress. Part 3 provides a brief overview of how organizations can help individuals avoid experiencing burnout. Part 4 focuses on actions that behavioral health professionals can take to prevent compassion fatigue. And Part 5 focuses on self-care as an ethical duty in order to manage compassion fatigue.

Information and Flyers

Understanding Risk and Protective factors for Suicide 1 page flyer
PTSD Awareness for Nurses
Managing Healthcare Workers Stress Associated with PTSD

Tools for Fire/EMS Personnel

Make the Call Media Toolkit: These items are shared with Fire/EMS agencies to use in support of their mental health resources.

Crew Care an app for first responders that provides mental health insight on an individual’s stress load and associated factors.

Crisis Text line: a global not-for-profit organization providing free confidential crisis intervention via SMS message. The organization’s services are available 24 hours a day, every day, throughout the US, UK, and Canada and can be reached by texting HOME to 741741 (or text BADGE to 741741 if you are a first responder).

Fire/EMS Helpline 1-888-731-3473: Free, confidential helpline available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and is specifically designed to meet the unique needs of firefighters, EMTs, rescue personnel, and their families.