Campbell Recorder 05/13/21

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CAMPBELL RECORDER

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THURSDAY, MAY 13, 2021 | BECAUSE COMMUNITY MATTERS | PART OF THE USA TODAY NETWORK ###

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‘We don’t know how to step back’ Hospitals work to get TLC to stressed-out COVID-19 caregivers Terry DeMio Cincinnati Enquirer USA TODAY NETWORK

Cyndi Reusch positioned herself beside the horse, stretched her arms around him as instructed and leaned into him for the belly hug. She stood there listening to his heartbeat, feeling his warmth. “When I did that,” she says, “I just breathed.” Reusch, a St. Elizabeth nurse, is among Greater Cincinnati frontline COVID-19 caregivers that have been off ered ways to pause, to refl ect, to express and to catch their emotional breaths. Across the region, hospitals are creating therapeutic programs, providing emotional support and off ering assistance to their staff s to ease pressures that come with caring for the sick and dying during a pandemic. The healing time is essential, experts say, because the caregivers’ health is itself threatened by the novel coronavirus pandemic. “Managing the emerging mental health issues among healthcare workers is imperative, particularly in the current COVID-19 pandemic crisis,” a review of the psychological impact of severe epidemics on healthcare workers concludes. The study, published in December 2020 by the National Center for Biotechnology Information, called frontline COVID-19 caregivers a “highly vulnerable group.” During severe epidemics, healthcare workers can suff er from post-trauma stress, anxiety and depression, the report says. They may experience sleep disorders, headaches, lethargy and sore throats. “We don’t know how to take care of ourselves,” said Reusch, a nurse in St. Elizabeth Fort Thomas Hospital’s department of interventional radiology. “That’s not our job. We don’t know how to step back and say that, you know, ‘this morning is about me.’ “ She is one of about 40 St. E employees for whom, in March and April, the hospital system off ered “A Day of Healing” at Milestones Inc., a nonprofi t organization that off ers equine therapy in Independence. At Milestones, an instructor matched each caregiver with a horse. Reusch was matched with Shiloh. She’d had a couple of horses years ago and says Shiloh was perfect for her. For more than an hour, she connected with the horse: Brushing him. Walking with him and an instructor through an obstacle course, stopping while Shiloh hesitated to cross a bridge. Thinking – with help from an emotional therapist –

St. Elizabeth Fort Thomas hospital nursing supervisor Marcia Erickson attends therapy for caregivers at Milestones Inc. in Independence on April 13. The hospital system paid for several equine therapy sessions for frontline COVID-19 caregivers at the nonprofi t. PROVIDED

Nurse Erin Centner sits in an electronic massage chair and lavender scented essential oils diffuse into the air inside a new break room at Christ Hospital in Mt. Auburn. SAM GREENE/THE ENQUIRER

about her own obstacles during the pandemic. Gazing at the horse, adjusting her breathing to his. Being with Shiloh. “I was focused,” Reusch said. “I was just, like, in my own little world, enjoying his company.” At the pandemic’s start, area hospital administrators jumped in to support caregivers with little treats, care packages, food (often brought in by nearby restaurants), tip sheets for coping and more. Over time, each hospital system developed unique ways to support its caregivers. At Christ Hospital, for example, “We’d hand-write little sticky notes …and stick them on windshields,” said Regina Shupe, Christ Hospital experience offi cer. “We have to think creatively. We have to act creatively. We have to be fl exible in assisting our team members,” said David Cook, chief people offi cer at TriSee CAREGIVERS, Page 2A

NKU student Alyssa Wray voted off ‘American Idol’ on Disney night Sarah Brookbank and Charles Trepany Cincinnati Enquirer USA TODAY NETWORK

Northern Kentucky University student Alyssa Wray was voted off “American Idol” on the May 2 episode. The ABC reality singing competition returned May 2 with a live show that saw the top 10 perform songs from Disney movies. The 19-year-old Perryville native dazzled with a magical performance of “A Dream Is a Wish Your Heart Makes” from “Cinderella.” Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan said

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they were happy to see Wray save her belt and vocal acrobatics for the song’s end, while Katy Perry called the singer “elegant and elevated.” “You are a permanent princess,” she added. “You will never turn back into a pumpkin.” At the end of the episode, host Ryan Seacrest revealed, in no particular order, who was safe. It meant the end of the road for Wray and others. Three contestants were eliminated May 2. They refl ected on their “Idol” journeys post-show, saying that their “Idol” experiences have boosted their confi dence. “I came into this competition think-

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ing that I just wasn’t worth anything,” said Wray. “These people, this competition, America — they’ve truly taught me that I am worth so much more than I could ever dream of and that I don’t have to do anything but be myself. I just have to do what I love and that is enough.” We likely haven’t seen the last of Wray – she has set her sights on achieving EGOT status. EGOT, an acronym for the Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony Awards, applies to a performer who has won all four awards. USA TODAY contributed to this article.

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Alyssa Wray performs “A Dream Is a Wish Your Heart Makes” on “American Idol.” ERIC MCCANDLESS/ABC

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