Commentary: Encouraging health care workers, all Delawareans

The Delaware Nurses Association, founded in 1911, has and continues to represent, lead, develop and advocate for all of Delaware’s 25,000-plus nurses in their pursuit of optimizing health, preventing illness and injury, facilitating healing and alleviating suffering through compassionate presence. The ongoing battle against COVID-19 has exposed nurses, the largest sector of the front-line health care workforce, to extraordinary challenges, risks to their personal health and safety, and the physical, emotional and mental health burden of this virus. The concurring epidemics of rampant misinformation and politicization of this public health emergency have further strained our nurses and their well-being.

We are witnessing concerning trends in our nursing workforce, resulting in less availability of nurses and other health care workers to support the ongoing and increasing health needs of the Delaware community. These trends are seen across the nation in the nursing and health care fields. Messages requesting support and collaboration echo throughout media, provided by nurses, organizations and individuals. The Delaware Nurses Association shares the following messages with all Delawareans.

To nurses: We see you. We hear you. We recognize and acknowledge the repeated stress you face while providing your expert services and compassionate care. We are truly living in an unprecedented time, and we are committed to supporting you. We acknowledge that you need a safe space to express your concerns and ideas for improvement, to connect with colleagues across the state and to feel relief from all that you are carrying. We are working to provide you with more space, opportunity and support. We are grateful as you remain committed to your profession, each other and the community.

To Delawareans: We know that you are tired, too. We know that you dream of simpler days and a return to normal. The reality is that this can’t happen for all until we all come together. As Delaware and the world tried to move on over the summer, nurses and health care workers continued to serve Delawareans in all settings, putting their own wishes aside. Coming together means staying respectful of each other, setting aside differences, combating misinformation and sticking to the irrefutable facts about this virus.

Stay curious and seek information originating from credible health care groups and organizations. In July, U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek H. Murthy issued an advisory, titled “Confronting Health Misinformation,” which addresses another serious threat to public health. Not everyone posting and sharing information about COVID-19 is doing so with the necessary knowledge and experience. We know that many are trying to help and share important messages, but doing so without the ability to identify misinformation from discreditable sources is a danger to Delawareans.

Dr. Murthy states, “Limiting the spread of health misinformation is a moral and civic imperative that will require a whole-of-society effort.” Please read the full report and learn how to identify and avoid sharing health misinformation. Combating health misinformation has become another responsibility of all nurses and health care professionals as we care for patients subjected to and harmed by health misinformation. We all need to do our part to keep each other safe and well-informed.

Stick to the evidence-based, expert-recommended public health measures that will combat this virus. As the world continues to debate and combat misinformation over COVID-19 vaccinations, please stick with public health measures that will decrease the spread, infection and mutation of this invisible virus. Wear a mask in public places and when you interact with others — even vaccinated people. Stay home when you are ill. Wash your hands. Disinfect regularly touched surfaces. Keep at least 6 feet away from people who don’t live with you and avoid crowds. Get vaccinated against COVID-19.

The Delaware Nurses Association strongly urges all Delawareans to get vaccinated against the coronavirus. We are trusted with other aspects of your care; trust us with this one, too. The COVID-19 mRNA vaccine has been and continues to be rigorously studied. It is safe and effective. It is the answer to slowing the spread of the virus, decreasing hospitalizations, saving lives, reducing suffering, stabilizing our health care system and putting us back on the path toward health, well-being and prosperity.

Violence, in any form, is not acceptable. We are monitoring media coverage from across the nation of unacceptable violence against nurses, doctors, health care workers and hospitals. It is OK to discuss and debate an issue. It is never OK to physically or verbally target a health care professional or hospital for providing outreach, care and services to someone who has sought and needs them.

This includes hate, harassment and bullying via social media. Speaking, writing or physically threatening and/or expressing hate, harassment, bullying, discrimination and/or other forms of violence toward nurses, doctors and health care professionals is intolerable in all settings. Verbal and physical violence is one of many cited reasons health professionals are burned out. It will take all of us to stop and turn this around.

Check in with and offer support to a nurse, doctor or health care professional. No matter where a health care employee works, we are all affected by COVID-19. Reach out and connect with a nurse to offer your support and a space for them to talk and for you to listen. Often, that is what we need most, to let out the weight of what we have seen each shift, so we don’t carry it around with us. We have experienced your support firsthand, whether it was donations of food or supplies, messages of support or a drive-by from a group of Jeep enthusiasts or motorcycle crew. Consider what act of kindness and support you can show for Delaware’s nurses, doctors and health care professionals.

The Delaware Nurses Association and our organizational affiliates, the Delaware Organization for Nursing Leadership and the Delaware Emergency Nurses Association, are working to stabilize and support the nursing workforce, so we can keep Delaware healthy and moving forward. We sent a letter to Gov. John Carney and Delaware Health and Social Services Secretary Molly Magarik highlighting and urging immediate action to address the unsustainable nurse staffing shortage in Delaware.

This letter includes our initial proposed policy solutions. We are holding listening sessions for all Delaware nurses to have the space to safely share their experiences, concerns and ideas that will reshape and strengthen our initial short- and long-term solutions. We are bringing nurse and health leaders from key organizations together, so we can collaboratively and transparently work to stabilize and support the nursing workforce in all health settings.

Thank you. Thank you for staying curious, reading these messages and taking action to support each other and our entrusted nurses. Questions and suggestions can be directed to the association via email, contactdna@denurses.org.

Leslie Verucci is president of the Delaware Nurses Association. Christopher Otto is its executive director.