Coronavirus Crisis: Concerns Raised For Traumatized Staff At Holyoke Soldiers Home

BOSTON (CBS) – Theresa King hasn’t missed a day of work since the coronavirus pandemic hit the Soldiers Home in Holyoke, which has now lost more residents than any nursing home in the country. All of them are military heroes. “It doesn’t take much to make tears flow lately. Worry, worry, that’s all I can do,” King said. It wasn’t until last week, the longtime nurse hit her breaking point. “Each time somebody passed, you didn’t have time to go through the grieving process that you would normally go through,” she said. “It affects you emotionally and mentally.” She talked with a counselor the state-run facility brought in, and went home early. “You continue to do your job to the best of your ability and continue to give care, while the whole time you’re internalizing that this isn’t the way it’s supposed to be,” she said. To this day, she says, she hasn’t had time to truly grieve. “I don’t think it’s fully hit the staff, including myself, 100% yet because we’re still worried about the people that are there,” she said. Flags outside Holyoke Soldiers Home (WBZ-TV) Cory Bombredi is with SEIU Local 888, the union that represents Soldiers Home employees. “Every day I talk to workers who are literally breaking down,” he said. He’s been working with the state to make sure they have access to free mental health care. “Just from talking to the workers, I see a second wave of people probably be...
Source: WBZ-TV - Breaking News, Weather and Sports for Boston, Worcester and New Hampshire - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Boston News Health Syndicated CBSN Boston Syndicated Local Coronavirus Holyoke Soldiers' Home Source Type: news