We have stared at the curve. We have waited for it to flatten. And maybe, with our collective will, we are beginning to see a positive impact.
Weeks ago, we could only imagine celebrating this moment. Seattle, and UW Medicine, have become a beacon of hope that others are looking to as a way of understanding where we are all headed. However, as our community has rallied around us in the past weeks, we are now beginning to face the reality of loss– of lives and of livelihoods, of our ‘normal’ ways of life, of layoffs and closures hitting our vibrant local businesses, affecting the well-being of our families and neighbors. We are so grateful for what our community has done to help us get to this point; in this moment, we lift our heads and start to think about how we can take care of each other as we work toward our future.
One lesson we have learned from COVID-19 is that we are all deeply interconnected. Patients in cities near and far with curves that are not flattening as quickly are being cared for by our former classmates and colleagues, in communities where our families and friends live and work. While we continue to do incredible work in and out of our hospitals to manage COVID-19 in Seattle, we feel the immense challenges being faced across our web of connections as we both push to stay healthy and make sense of what comes next.
We will continue to support you and your families in facing what lies ahead with regular updates on our Well-Being and Support website.
Here are some recommended resources to check out this week:
- Consider distancing yourself from the news: Read “Avoiding information overload during the pandemic.” UW Information School Professor David Levy discusses some best practices for navigating our use of devices and the need to be thoughtful about the habits we have in place for choosing what we consume. Pro tip: turn off your news app notifications.
- Join Dr. Kevin Alschuler, Rehabilitation Medicine and Neurology, for Coping with Uncertainty and Leveraging Resilience During COVID-19 on Zoom, Friday, at 1 p.m., for a 20-minute presentation followed up a question and answer session.
- Continue to tune into our Friday, 3 p.m., Town Halls. Submit your questions in advance and join via Zoom. UW Medicine leaders gather to share updates and respond to your emerging concerns from the week.
- Watch Dr. Denise Dudzinski, Chair of the Department of Bioethics and Humanities, sharing COVID19 Ethics: Frequently Asked QuestionsCOVID-19 Ethics Frequently Asked Questions around standard of care.
- Share the recording with family: Drs. Jared Baeten, Trish Kritek and Andrea Kalus responded to questions in our latest Partner & Spouses of Healthcare Team Members conversation.
- Need a date night during physical distancing? Stay in and go to the symphony via livestream.
- To stay strong together, keep utilizing peer support and the Department of Psychiatry’s supportive conversations to care for your mental and emotional well-being.
Thank you for continuing to share your 55-word stories with us. They provide insight into each other’s experience at a time when it is harder to casually connect and debrief. Consider sharing your story.
I will remember
Feeling like a soldier in scrubs
“How are you?” “Well, my medical school roommate is in an ICU in New York . . .”
The tent outside the ER
The patient who did not want to leave the hospital
The young physician whose mother mailed her a chocolate cake
Wondering who supports the chaplain
By Susan Merel, Attending Physician
I can hear you
In transcription it is not a direct communication but we have always appreciated hearing “have a nice day” or “thanks for your help” because it means you know a person is there listening to you. I become real for you.
Reading these stories, it helps me to hear you better, as I recognize names and appreciate the feelings shared and work that you do that doesn’t always show up in the dictation. Thank you for becoming real to me.
By Lori Wilkinson, Transcription
Untitled
The weight of what we’re doing feels heavier at home. The fear is more acute when surrounded by those we love. I don’t want to die but I couldn’t live with myself if I didn’t do my job, so each day I wake up and head back to the ICU carrying the weight of a pandemic with me.
By Anonymous, Resident/Fellow
We are so appreciative of the work we are seeing throughout UW Medicine. From the folks in environmental services who are crucial to executing our high standard of care to the teams of people who have been toiling for weeks to create a surge plan for the worst the curve could have to offer — we are grateful. With your courage and commitment, we have gotten to the point where we can take a collective deep breath before we carry on to the next task.
With much gratitude,
Anne Browning, PhD
Assistant Dean for Well-Being, UW School of Medicine
Founding Director, UW Resilience Lab
Affiliate Assistant Professor, UW College of Education
Patricia Kritek, MD, EdM
Associate Dean – Faculty Affairs
Professor – Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine
University of Washington School of Medicine
