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| ‘They Want to Forget Us’: Psychiatric Hospital Workers Feel Exposed | ‘They Want to Forget Us’: Psychiatric Hospital Workers Feel Exposed |
| (about 1 month later) | |
| By mid-March, the staff at the Rockland Psychiatric Center in Orangeburg, N.Y., was growing frustrated. | By mid-March, the staff at the Rockland Psychiatric Center in Orangeburg, N.Y., was growing frustrated. |
| Patients in the center’s two inpatient buildings were continuing to gather for daily group therapy sessions, making social distancing difficult, and some workers believed they needed to stop. There were not enough test kits or protective gear, workers said. And some worried that patients being transferred from hospitals in New York City had not been adequately screened for the coronavirus. | Patients in the center’s two inpatient buildings were continuing to gather for daily group therapy sessions, making social distancing difficult, and some workers believed they needed to stop. There were not enough test kits or protective gear, workers said. And some worried that patients being transferred from hospitals in New York City had not been adequately screened for the coronavirus. |
| The administration soon convened town halls to discuss the concerns. Employees were told that they should not be taking hand sanitizer or masks out of the hospital, but some complained that little of either was available anyway, according to people who were present. Soon patients and staff members began getting sick, including the medical chief. | The administration soon convened town halls to discuss the concerns. Employees were told that they should not be taking hand sanitizer or masks out of the hospital, but some complained that little of either was available anyway, according to people who were present. Soon patients and staff members began getting sick, including the medical chief. |
| Now, at least 30 Covid-19 deaths have been recorded in the state’s system of 23 psychiatric centers, and roughly a third of them have been at Rockland. State officials said 10 patients at Rockland had died, and union officials said one employee was also dead because of the virus. | Now, at least 30 Covid-19 deaths have been recorded in the state’s system of 23 psychiatric centers, and roughly a third of them have been at Rockland. State officials said 10 patients at Rockland had died, and union officials said one employee was also dead because of the virus. |
| More than 13 percent of Rockland’s patient population is confirmed to have or suspected of having Covid-19. | More than 13 percent of Rockland’s patient population is confirmed to have or suspected of having Covid-19. |
| The state’s other hospital hit hardest by the pandemic is the Pilgrim Psychiatric Center in Suffolk County, where nine patients have died, according to the state. Nearly a fifth of the patients are either confirmed or suspected cases of Covid-19. | The state’s other hospital hit hardest by the pandemic is the Pilgrim Psychiatric Center in Suffolk County, where nine patients have died, according to the state. Nearly a fifth of the patients are either confirmed or suspected cases of Covid-19. |
| The New York Times interviewed clinicians, union officials and employees with a wide range of jobs at the two hospitals, from nursing to food services, and reviewed a number of internal documents. Many of the employees spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of losing their state jobs. | The New York Times interviewed clinicians, union officials and employees with a wide range of jobs at the two hospitals, from nursing to food services, and reviewed a number of internal documents. Many of the employees spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of losing their state jobs. |
| “The staff is getting sick constantly. We are severely depleted in staff,” one Rockland clinician said. | “The staff is getting sick constantly. We are severely depleted in staff,” one Rockland clinician said. |
| Tyjuana Parker, the vice president of the union local that represents civil service employees at Rockland, has been working at the hospital because of staffing shortages. “All of us could be walking around here with it,” she said. “We don’t know. It’s a lot of fear.” | Tyjuana Parker, the vice president of the union local that represents civil service employees at Rockland, has been working at the hospital because of staffing shortages. “All of us could be walking around here with it,” she said. “We don’t know. It’s a lot of fear.” |
| Psychiatric hospitals present special challenges to the strictures of social distancing, since many patients are allowed to come and go in and out of the center, and once inside they are not cloistered. | Psychiatric hospitals present special challenges to the strictures of social distancing, since many patients are allowed to come and go in and out of the center, and once inside they are not cloistered. |
| Group therapy sessions are a central part of many patients’ routines. “Prior to this crisis, they would talk with their peers, play cards, play bingo, do normal recreational activities,” a nurse at Rockland said. Now such things are on hold. | Group therapy sessions are a central part of many patients’ routines. “Prior to this crisis, they would talk with their peers, play cards, play bingo, do normal recreational activities,” a nurse at Rockland said. Now such things are on hold. |
| The patient population is already at high risk. “Because of the medications they take, their immunity is already compromised,” the nurse said. | The patient population is already at high risk. “Because of the medications they take, their immunity is already compromised,” the nurse said. |
| James Plastiras, a spokesman for the state’s Office of Mental Health, which oversees the two hospitals, said in a statement that the agency “has taken numerous actions to protect staff and patients and reduce the risk of exposure in our facilities.” He said the state had provided face masks to staff members and patients, bolstered screening procedures for new admissions and eliminated group therapy sessions for the duration of the crisis. | James Plastiras, a spokesman for the state’s Office of Mental Health, which oversees the two hospitals, said in a statement that the agency “has taken numerous actions to protect staff and patients and reduce the risk of exposure in our facilities.” He said the state had provided face masks to staff members and patients, bolstered screening procedures for new admissions and eliminated group therapy sessions for the duration of the crisis. |
| Rockland and Pilgrim are among the oldest of the state’s psychiatric hospitals, with both opening in 1931. In the 1950s, Pilgrim alone had nearly 14,000 patients, its own power plant and fire and police departments. Rockland had a bowling alley and was decorated with W.P.A. murals. Both were referenced in Allen Ginsberg’s beat poetry classic “Howl.” | Rockland and Pilgrim are among the oldest of the state’s psychiatric hospitals, with both opening in 1931. In the 1950s, Pilgrim alone had nearly 14,000 patients, its own power plant and fire and police departments. Rockland had a bowling alley and was decorated with W.P.A. murals. Both were referenced in Allen Ginsberg’s beat poetry classic “Howl.” |
| Today, after decades of deinstitutionalization aimed at curbing the warehousing of the mentally ill, the hospitals are ghosts of their former selves, their sprawling campuses strewn with shuttered buildings (much of the show “Orange is the New Black” was shot at Rockland). The two centers have about 600 patients combined. | Today, after decades of deinstitutionalization aimed at curbing the warehousing of the mentally ill, the hospitals are ghosts of their former selves, their sprawling campuses strewn with shuttered buildings (much of the show “Orange is the New Black” was shot at Rockland). The two centers have about 600 patients combined. |
| As at so many facilities that house people closely together — in particular the nation’s nursing homes, where at least 7,000 have died amid the pandemic — workers find themselves unexpectedly on the front lines of a public-health crisis. | As at so many facilities that house people closely together — in particular the nation’s nursing homes, where at least 7,000 have died amid the pandemic — workers find themselves unexpectedly on the front lines of a public-health crisis. |
| “It just hit,” said Arnold Jones, who has worked at Pilgrim for 33 years and now heads the Civil Service Employees Association local that staffs the center. “New York is a hot spot, and Suffolk County is a hot spot within the hot spot. So there’s a lot going on here.” | “It just hit,” said Arnold Jones, who has worked at Pilgrim for 33 years and now heads the Civil Service Employees Association local that staffs the center. “New York is a hot spot, and Suffolk County is a hot spot within the hot spot. So there’s a lot going on here.” |
| At Rockland, like at other hospitals, supplies of personal protective equipment have been a flash point. On March 27, the executive director of the facility, Janet Monroe, emailed the staff: “We had a call from our central office where now we are required to account for PPE inventory and use daily,” she wrote, adding that the center “will not be giving out masks as a daily routine.” Instead, infection control nurses would guide how such equipment would be used. | At Rockland, like at other hospitals, supplies of personal protective equipment have been a flash point. On March 27, the executive director of the facility, Janet Monroe, emailed the staff: “We had a call from our central office where now we are required to account for PPE inventory and use daily,” she wrote, adding that the center “will not be giving out masks as a daily routine.” Instead, infection control nurses would guide how such equipment would be used. |
| Updated June 5, 2020 | |
| The unemployment rate fell to 13.3 percent in May, the Labor Department said on June 5, an unexpected improvement in the nation’s job market as hiring rebounded faster than economists expected. Economists had forecast the unemployment rate to increase to as much as 20 percent, after it hit 14.7 percent in April, which was the highest since the government began keeping official statistics after World War II. But the unemployment rate dipped instead, with employers adding 2.5 million jobs, after more than 20 million jobs were lost in April. | |
| Mass protests against police brutality that have brought thousands of people onto the streets in cities across America are raising the specter of new coronavirus outbreaks, prompting political leaders, physicians and public health experts to warn that the crowds could cause a surge in cases. While many political leaders affirmed the right of protesters to express themselves, they urged the demonstrators to wear face masks and maintain social distancing, both to protect themselves and to prevent further community spread of the virus. Some infectious disease experts were reassured by the fact that the protests were held outdoors, saying the open air settings could mitigate the risk of transmission. | |
| Exercise researchers and physicians have some blunt advice for those of us aiming to return to regular exercise now: Start slowly and then rev up your workouts, also slowly. American adults tended to be about 12 percent less active after the stay-at-home mandates began in March than they were in January. But there are steps you can take to ease your way back into regular exercise safely. First, “start at no more than 50 percent of the exercise you were doing before Covid,” says Dr. Monica Rho, the chief of musculoskeletal medicine at the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab in Chicago. Thread in some preparatory squats, too, she advises. “When you haven’t been exercising, you lose muscle mass.” Expect some muscle twinges after these preliminary, post-lockdown sessions, especially a day or two later. But sudden or increasing pain during exercise is a clarion call to stop and return home. | |
| States are reopening bit by bit. This means that more public spaces are available for use and more and more businesses are being allowed to open again. The federal government is largely leaving the decision up to states, and some state leaders are leaving the decision up to local authorities. Even if you aren’t being told to stay at home, it’s still a good idea to limit trips outside and your interaction with other people. | |
| Touching contaminated objects and then infecting ourselves with the germs is not typically how the virus spreads. But it can happen. A number of studies of flu, rhinovirus, coronavirus and other microbes have shown that respiratory illnesses, including the new coronavirus, can spread by touching contaminated surfaces, particularly in places like day care centers, offices and hospitals. But a long chain of events has to happen for the disease to spread that way. The best way to protect yourself from coronavirus — whether it’s surface transmission or close human contact — is still social distancing, washing your hands, not touching your face and wearing masks. | |
| Common symptoms include fever, a dry cough, fatigue and difficulty breathing or shortness of breath. Some of these symptoms overlap with those of the flu, making detection difficult, but runny noses and stuffy sinuses are less common. The C.D.C. has also added chills, muscle pain, sore throat, headache and a new loss of the sense of taste or smell as symptoms to look out for. Most people fall ill five to seven days after exposure, but symptoms may appear in as few as two days or as many as 14 days. | |
| If air travel is unavoidable, there are some steps you can take to protect yourself. Most important: Wash your hands often, and stop touching your face. If possible, choose a window seat. A study from Emory University found that during flu season, the safest place to sit on a plane is by a window, as people sitting in window seats had less contact with potentially sick people. Disinfect hard surfaces. When you get to your seat and your hands are clean, use disinfecting wipes to clean the hard surfaces at your seat like the head and arm rest, the seatbelt buckle, the remote, screen, seat back pocket and the tray table. If the seat is hard and nonporous or leather or pleather, you can wipe that down, too. (Using wipes on upholstered seats could lead to a wet seat and spreading of germs rather than killing them.) | |
| Taking one’s temperature to look for signs of fever is not as easy as it sounds, as “normal” temperature numbers can vary, but generally, keep an eye out for a temperature of 100.5 degrees Fahrenheit or higher. If you don’t have a thermometer (they can be pricey these days), there are other ways to figure out if you have a fever, or are at risk of Covid-19 complications. | |
| The C.D.C. has recommended that all Americans wear cloth masks if they go out in public. This is a shift in federal guidance reflecting new concerns that the coronavirus is being spread by infected people who have no symptoms. Until now, the C.D.C., like the W.H.O., has advised that ordinary people don’t need to wear masks unless they are sick and coughing. Part of the reason was to preserve medical-grade masks for health care workers who desperately need them at a time when they are in continuously short supply. Masks don’t replace hand washing and social distancing. | |
| If you’ve been exposed to the coronavirus or think you have, and have a fever or symptoms like a cough or difficulty breathing, call a doctor. They should give you advice on whether you should be tested, how to get tested, and how to seek medical treatment without potentially infecting or exposing others. | |
| If you’re sick and you think you’ve been exposed to the new coronavirus, the C.D.C. recommends that you call your healthcare provider and explain your symptoms and fears. They will decide if you need to be tested. Keep in mind that there’s a chance — because of a lack of testing kits or because you’re asymptomatic, for instance — you won’t be able to get tested. | |
| “They’ve got my members spraying Lysol on masks, and yet they’re saying everything is OK,” said Wayne Spence, the head of the Public Employees Federation, the union that represents nurses and clinicians at the center. | “They’ve got my members spraying Lysol on masks, and yet they’re saying everything is OK,” said Wayne Spence, the head of the Public Employees Federation, the union that represents nurses and clinicians at the center. |
| He said his union had given 1,500 masks to Rockland alone, taking on the unusual role of providing medical equipment to its members. The union has also spent nearly $170,000 on hotel rooms for nurses, he said, largely because the workers do not want to infect their families. Forty of the 238 nurses at Rockland are confirmed to have Covid-19. | He said his union had given 1,500 masks to Rockland alone, taking on the unusual role of providing medical equipment to its members. The union has also spent nearly $170,000 on hotel rooms for nurses, he said, largely because the workers do not want to infect their families. Forty of the 238 nurses at Rockland are confirmed to have Covid-19. |
| “Buying this stuff is almost like a drug deal,” Mr. Spence said of protective gear. “You’re worried people will outbid you. | “Buying this stuff is almost like a drug deal,” Mr. Spence said of protective gear. “You’re worried people will outbid you. |
| “So, securing the masks has been a problem. Even though the governor has said members are supposed to get one mask per day, it’s more like one mask per week. That’s what our members are telling us.” | “So, securing the masks has been a problem. Even though the governor has said members are supposed to get one mask per day, it’s more like one mask per week. That’s what our members are telling us.” |
| The civil service union has warmer relations with the Cuomo administration — its workers have a contract, while Public Employees Federation negotiators have been at loggerheads with the state over a new deal — and officials said they felt their workers had been provided with adequate protective equipment. But they were also struggling to maintain staffing levels. | The civil service union has warmer relations with the Cuomo administration — its workers have a contract, while Public Employees Federation negotiators have been at loggerheads with the state over a new deal — and officials said they felt their workers had been provided with adequate protective equipment. But they were also struggling to maintain staffing levels. |
| “There’s just a fear factor,” said Ms. Parker, the Rockland union vice president. “Those coming in here should get hazardous pay.” | “There’s just a fear factor,” said Ms. Parker, the Rockland union vice president. “Those coming in here should get hazardous pay.” |
| On April 3, the commissioner of the state Office of Mental Health, Ann Marie T. Sullivan, told the work force that, while the agency had faced “every level of catastrophes” over the decades, the pandemic was “challenging us in a way that a blizzard never could.” She asked for a moment of silence every day at 3 p.m. to reflect on the workers, family members and friends who had been lost. | On April 3, the commissioner of the state Office of Mental Health, Ann Marie T. Sullivan, told the work force that, while the agency had faced “every level of catastrophes” over the decades, the pandemic was “challenging us in a way that a blizzard never could.” She asked for a moment of silence every day at 3 p.m. to reflect on the workers, family members and friends who had been lost. |
| Still, many fretted that so little attention had been focused on their plight. | Still, many fretted that so little attention had been focused on their plight. |
| “No one ever talks about what we do,” Mr. Jones said, adding, “they treat us the same way they treat the mentally ill. They want to forget us.” | “No one ever talks about what we do,” Mr. Jones said, adding, “they treat us the same way they treat the mentally ill. They want to forget us.” |