OF IMPROVEMENT. ANN ZENK, THANKS VERY MUCH.
>> THANK YOU. >> FOUR YEARS AGO THIS WEEK, THE
STATE OF WISCONSIN DECLARED A STATE OF EMERGENCY BECAUSE OF
COVID. THE VIRUS HAS TAKEN MORE THAN
16,000 LIVES IN WISCONSIN, AND WHILE THE THREAT HAS FADED, THE
EFFECTS OF THE PANDEMIC LINGER. "HERE AND NOW" REPORTER ADITI
DEBNATH SPOKE TO THE WISCONSIN DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH SERVICES,
DR. JASMINE ZAPATA TO TALK ABOUT LESSONS LEARNED AND CURRENT
STATUS. HER COMMENTS INCLUDE DISCUSSION
OF SUICIDE. >> WHERE DO WE STAND TODAY IN
WISCONSIN WITH COVID-19 INFECTIONS?
VE THAT IT'S BEEN FOUR YEARS.
IT SEEMS LIKE THAT TIME JUST WENT BY SO QUICKLY.
AS IT RELATES TO WISCONSIN, WE'RE ACTUALLY SEEING IN OUR
WASTEWATER LEVELS, OUR EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT VISITS AND OUR
PERCENT POSITIVITY THAT THE RATES ARE GETTING LOWER.
SO WE ARE DEFINITELY IN A BETTER PLACE THAN WE WERE FOUR YEARS
AGO. >> WHAT SHOULD OR COULD HAVE
PUBLIC HEALTH PROVIDERS DONE DIFFERENTLY DURING THE FIRST FEW
MONTHS OF THE PANDEMIC? >> THAT'S SUCH A GREAT QUESTION
AND WHEN YOU LOOK BACK, OF COURSE, HINDSIGHT IS 20/20
VISION. WE KNOW THINGS THAT COULD HAVE
BEEN DONE DIFFERENTLY. FIRST, I WOULD LIKE TO SAY I'M
REALLY PROUD OF THE FACT THAT WE ARE STILL HERE, THAT WE GOT
THROUGH THIS. THAT WAS A VERY, VERY HARD TIME.
WE'RE STILL FACING DIFFERENT COMPLICATIONS AND RIPPLE EFFECTS
FROM THE PANDEMIC, SO WE'RE NOT COMPLETELY DONE WITH THIS.
BUT I'M JUST PROUD OF THE FACT THAT WE ARE STANDING, WE ARE ARE
STILL HERE AND THAT WE LEARNED A LOT OF IMPORTANT LESSONS.
ONE OF THE BIGGEST LESSONS THAT I TRULY BELIEVE THAT WE LEARNED,
AND WHEN PEOPLE ASK WHAT COULD WE HAVE DONE DIFFERENTLY IF WE
COULD GO BACK, IT'S REALLY A QUESTION OF IF WE COULD HAVE
GONE BACK IN TIME EVEN BEFORE THE PANDEMIC STARTED, CONTINUING
TO BUILD THAT TRUST BETWEEN OUR COMMUNITY AND HEALTHCARE AND
PUBLIC HEALTH. WHEN WE AS PUBLIC HEALTH
PROVIDERS AND AS A PUBLIC HEALTH SYSTEM WENT INTO COMMUNITIES AND
TALKED ABOUT VACCINES AND THIS IS A PANDEMIC AND EVERYBODY GET
VACCINATED, HERE'S WHAT TO DO TO BE SAFE, THE FACT THAT THERE
WERE SO MANY LIVES LOST BECAUSE OF A DISTRUST IN THE HEALTHCARE
SYSTEM, EVEN BECAUSE OF LACK OF ACCESS, BECAUSE OF MANY
DIFFERENT BARRIERS, THAT'S HEARTBREAKING.
THINGS THAT COULD HAVE BEEN PREVENTED, BUT THAT
WAS WORK THAT NEEDED TO BE DONE YEARS AND EVEN DECADES BEFORE
THE PANDEMIC STARTED. SO I DON'T THINK THERE'S ANY ONE
THING THAT WE COULD HAVE DONE IMMEDIATELY AT THAT TIME.
THE REAL WORK IN PREVENTION NEEDED TO START EVEN YEARS
BEFORE THE PANDEMIC EVEN OCCURRED.
>> THE PANDEMIC ALSO CAUSED A LOT OF PROBLEMS AND PAIN FOR
HEALTHCARE WORKERS ON THE FRONTLINE.
TRY WILL NEVER RETURN BACK TO NORMAL.
AS A FRONTLINE WORKER AND A COMMUNITY DOCTOR, WHAT ARE SOME
OF THOSE PROBLEMS THAT ARE STILL LINGERING IN THE HEALTHCARE
FIELD? >> THERE'S A LOT OF DIFFERENT
ISSUES, BUT ONE OF THEM IS BURN-OUT.
LD, WE HAVE ONE OF THE HIGHEST RATES OF
SUICIDE, AND THAT IS SOMETHING THAT'S VERY DISTURBING.
I'VE PERSONALLY HAD COLLEAGUES THAT I'VE GONE OUT TO DINNER
WITH, THAT I'VE TALKED WITH ON THE PHONE, HAD CLOSE
RELATIONSHIPS DIE FROM SUICIDE, AND THAT'S SOMETHING THAT IS
HARD TO TALK ABOUT, BUT IF -- UNLESS WE TALK ABOUT IT MORE,
IT'S NEVER GOING TO CHANGE. SO IT WAS ALREADY A BAD PROBLEM,
BUT ESPECIALLY DUE TO THE PANDEMIC AND JUST THE WAY THAT
THE HEALTHCARE SYSTEM WAS OVERWHELMED, THAT DEFINITELY HAD
A LONG-TERM IMPACT ON THE MENTAL HEALTH OF EVEN PROVIDERS.