February 18, 2020

To Cope With Anxiety, Coronavirus Patients Do the Safety Dance

Category: Article Summary

Topic: Mental Health and Personal Impact

Reviewed by Dr. Tona McGuire, clinical psychologist, co-lead of the DOH Behavioral Health Strike Team, co-founder of the Health Support Team, and instructor in disaster behavioral health. 

• With a shortage of Mental Health professionals, other healthcare workers are stepping in to develop creative ways to help patients and themselves manage the stress involved in quarantine in “shelter hospitals”.  Mental health providers regularly visit, and have set up chat groups, online forums, radio stations, book clubs, and hotlines for patients and staff.  Staff in full PPE and patients also do Tai Chi and Square Dancing to relieve stress, calling it the “Safety Dance”.  Read the full story here.