RICHMOND, Va. -- Unprecedented levels of burnout in the field of medicine were reported well before the COVID-19 pandemic started in Virginia. The virus has only exacerbated the critical and immediate need to help our frontline workers. In March, Governor Ralph Northam signed legislation establishing the SafeHaven™, MSV’s Physician Well Being Program. The program, operated by the Medical Society of Virginia and VITAL WorkLife, ensures physicians and physician assistants can seek mental health support without the fear of impacting their medical license. “We wanted to make sure they felt safe to [...]

These are extraordinary times for the entire world, and especially for health care workers. The effects of COVID-19 not only will change the delivery of health care services; they will change the health care workers who are providing care. Many health care employees are silently struggling. We all need support and need a place to be heard, especially now that this pandemic has dramatically changed our lives. Physicians, physician assistants (PAs) and their families in particular need that place to be safe without fear of repercussions and they need it [...]