We are all deeply saddened when we lose a colleague. Dr. Breen is a hero who served her patients and the NYC community during the COVID pandemic. She risked her life, her health and ultimately her death is a loss for her family, community, institution, and all of us as emergency physicians.
Practicing emergency medicine is hard. We bear witness to some of the greatest tragedies of the human condition. The COVID-19 pandemic has brought more exposure of death and dying to emergency physicians on the frontline with the added risk of social isolation.
We should not allow social distancing to become social isolation. Now more than ever, we need to be intentional and check in with each other as well as with the health of our leadership. Let us be leaders in caring for each other as we care for our patients and our teams. Ultimately, we are all in this together.
Everyone in healthcare should have a crisis plan.
If you or someone you know needs help, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-TALK (8255). You can also text a crisis counselor by messaging the Crisis Text Line at 741741.
Virtual hope box is an app you can engage on in your smart phone.
If you absolutely will not go to see a professional then there are self-help resources for suicidal ideations.
Approved: 5/1/2020