CDC NIOSH to Host Panel on Protecting Health Worker Mental Health

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) will host a special virtual event with NIOSH Director Dr. John Howard, U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy, and other national experts from labor and medicine on the mental health of the nation’s health care workforce. The event will be held on Thursday, November 18 from 11:30 am-12:30 pm PT.

As noted by the CDC, health workers face many on-the-job challenges that can lead to work-related stress. For many of the more than 20 million health workers in the U.S., the COVID-19 pandemic has contributed to new and worsening mental health concerns, including burnout, compassion fatigue, depression, anxiety, substance use disorders, and suicidal ideation.

The panel will:

• Discuss the current crisis and the impact of the pandemic
• Explore specific challenges facing the nation’s health workers and what is needed to design a better work experience for this workforce
• Highlight current efforts and introduce NIOSH’s five-part plan to address the growing public health crisis

Additional information, including registration, is available here.