12 Months of Trauma: More Than 3,600 US Health Workers Died in Covid’s First Year

[NRSKarenRN, BSN, RN]

Reflecting back one year, many of the healthcare workers deaths could have been prevented in my opinion  if adequate PPE was available, covid testing sped up and covid tracing ramped up.

Thanks to all the bedside nurses for providing outstanding care under surreal circumstances of the past year. Support you provided to patients, families and health care staff shined in so many articles and news coverage.   May our nursing profession grow stronger from this experience.  Karen

Kaiser Health News  April 8, 2021

12 Months of Trauma: More Than 3,600 US Health Workers Died in Covid’s First Year

 

(Lydia Zuraw / KHN)

Quote

More than 3,600 U.S. health care workers perished in the first year of the pandemic, according to “Lost on the Frontline,” a 12-month investigation by The Guardian and KHN to track such deaths.

Lost on the Frontline is the most complete accounting of U.S. health care worker deaths. The federal government has not comprehensively tracked this data. But calls are mounting for the Biden administration to undertake a count as the KHN/Guardian project comes to a close today.

The project, which tracked who died and why, provides a window into the workings — and failings — of the U.S. health system during the covid-19 pandemic. One key finding: Two-thirds of deceased health care workers for whom the project has data identified as people of color, revealing the deep inequities tied to race, ethnicity and economic status in America’s health care workforce. Lower-paid workers who handled everyday patient care, including nurses, support staff and nursing home employees, were far more likely to die in the pandemic than physicians were.

 

Calls Mount for Biden to Track US Health Care Worker Deaths from Covid

Quote

...In an article in The Guardian last August, Klain drew on the findings of “Lost on the Frontline” to decry the ultimate price paid by health care workers: “Although America has applauded health workers, banged pots in their honor and offered grateful video tributes, we have consistently failed them where it mattered most.”

David Blumenthal, the national coordinator for health information technology under Obama, said a national tracking system is an important step in healing the wounds of the pandemic. “So many health care workers feel as though their devotion and sacrifice weren’t valued,” he said. “We must combat the widespread fatigue and disappointment.”...

 

[maryellen12]

On 4/9/2021 at 8:32 AM, NRSKarenRN said:

Reflecting back one year, many of the healthcare workers deaths could have been prevented in my opinion  if adequate PPE was available, COVID testing sped up and COVID tracing ramped up.

 

 

There needs to be accountability and a detailed understanding so that we can learn and improve safety in the workplace.

Tragic and sad for one health care worker to lose their life.

[LovingLife123]

We aren’t heroes anymore, nobody cares what we sacrificed.  So sad. ??