Hospital Employee Health – June 1, 2021
June 1, 2021
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N95s Moving Back to Single Use, Phasing Out Reprocessing
Hospitals should begin phasing out reprocessing systems for single-use N95 respirators, as national supplies have been replenished and it is time to end the temporary crisis response to the pandemic, the Food and Drug Administration stated in a letter to the healthcare industry. -
Many Nurse Suicides Are Preventable
New research on nurse suicide that included meticulous reviews of death records and other materials revealed nurses who leave the profession because of substance use, mental health issues, or chronic pain are at risk for suicide.
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Physician Suicide After COVID-19 Infection Spurs Mental Health Bill
A bill to provide resources and programs to improve mental health and prevent healthcare worker suicide has been introduced in Congress with bipartisan support. The Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act addresses longstanding mental health woes in healthcare that have been compounded by the coronavirus pandemic.
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Pandemic Grief: Loss Includes the Rituals of Bereavement
Healthcare workers are experiencing a collective grief experience during the pandemic. The inability to participate in grief and farewell rituals could lead to cases of prolonged grief disorder, a clinically diagnosable condition of unresolved grief that is impairing.
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Healthcare Antiviolence Bill Goes to the Senate
The Workplace Violence Prevention for Health Care and Social Service Workers Act of 2021 recently passed the U.S. House of Representatives and is now in the Senate. It would direct the Occupational Safety and Health Administration to require violence prevention programs in hospitals and other healthcare settings.
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CDC OKs Johnson & Johnson Vaccine with Warning to Women Younger Than 50 Years
Federal health officials have lifted the pause on Johnson & Johnson’s one-shot Janssen COVID-19 vaccine, but women younger than age 50 years should know the risks of the rare but real side effect.
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CDC: Vaccinate Dialysis Staff for COVID-19
The CDC is undertaking a major program to immunize staff and patients at dialysis centers against COVID-19. The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices considered dialysis healthcare personnel a priority population for vaccination.