IN THIS ISSUE

The “Unseen” Impact of COVID-19 on the Physician Community

“Extraordinary times require extraordinary people.” Jane Kay, The Daily Guardian, 7/25/2020

It was two years ago that a novel coronavirus, designated SARS-CoV-2 and later better known as COVID-19, emerged on the world scene with an unprecedented impact in modern times. Its impact continues to this day, and it is not clear when we will really start seeing “light at the end of the tunnel.” At the time of the writing of this note, there have been 808,000 COVID-19 cases reported in Minnesota alone and 8,885 deaths attributed to this entity in our state. Society as a whole has been turned on its head, with previously “normal” social interactions being replaced by masked encounters, social distancing, and electronic connections in separated locations. With health care being at the forefront of treatment, mitigation, prevention, and disease education, the impact on not only the physician community, but also all members of the healthcare team and other essential workers has been unparalleled. In this edition of MetroDoctors, we focus on the personal and professional toll that COVID-19 is having on physicians and medical students in the greater Minneapolis-St. Paul region. More importantly, we’ve made an effort to highlight some of the responses that healthcare organizations are making to mitigate the adverse mental health impact experienced by physicians and students. As pointed out in these articles, addressing physician wellness is more than just a portfolio of individually based solutions. Organizational efforts highlighted in this edition include the following: • Dr. Natalia Dorf-Biderman, Hospitalist: Hospital Wellbeing committee–Methodist Hospital/Park-Nicollet/

Health Partners and MMA’s Physician Wellbeing Advisory

Committee • Dr. Wendy Laine, Emergency Medicine: EPPA (Emergency Physicians, PA)–Director of Wellness • Dr. Mary Anderson, Hospitalist, Dr. Nancy O’Connor,

Family Medicine and Joan Henriksen, Ethicist: Ethics

Oasis, Allina Hospitals • Dr. Suzanne Jasberg, Psychiatry and Anastasia Ristau,

PhD, LP, Psychology:

PrairieCare • Dr. Kristen Schmidt, Psychiatry: Hazelden Betty Ford

Foundation In “Your Voice” Dr. Kellie Stecher shares her thoughts on some root causes that need to be addressed before there can be “progress on physician burnout, depression, PTSD, and suicide.” The substantial impact of COVID-19 on medical students and residents, the next generation of our practicing physicians, is likely underappreciated and underrecognized. This is highlighted in three articles: • Dr. Michael Kim, Assistant Dean and Wm. Scott Slattery,

PhD, Director of Learner Development, University of

Minnesota Medical School • UMN Chief Neurology Resident Bindi Parikh • Christopher Johns’, MS3 On page 1, Dr. Ryan Greiner highlights the impact of replacing one of the Board of Medical Practice licensure questions as removing a barrier for physicians to receive mental health care. Finally, COVID-19 cannot be considered in isolation. Climate change and the murder of George Floyd are both impacting us on a continuing basis. The Environmental Health article highlights the climate crisis hitting us now, but the healthcare sector seems to be largely silent in terms of enacting solutions. We hope you enjoy reading this edition of MetroDoctors and find the articles applicable to your personal and professional situations. We thank you for your time, effort, and personal sacrifice to help address this pandemic in our community that has been forced upon us. Thank you for your support of your colleagues during these challenging times. In short, we thank you for being one of the “extraordinary people.”

By Peter J. Dehnel, MD Member, MetroDoctors Editorial Board