Increasingly, first responders are taking on the role of counselor during the pandemic as the coronavirus stokes fears about health and livelihood.
It's hard to cope in a difficult time.
Lily is a psychology major at Illinois State University and a call center volunteer at the PATH Crisis Center in Bloomington. Lily is a name given to protect her identity because of the sensitive nature of the work. During a recent call, Lily said she talked with someone seeking help for a suicidal loved one.
“Unfortunately, I was disconnected from this caller while I was collecting crucial information and I was no longer able to communicate with them,” she said. “For me this heightened my anxiety and my stress that come with dealing with crisis calls.”
Lily has been getting more crisis calls during the pandemic.
“A lot of people are out of work, they are having a hard time with their landlords not being fully understanding, and in terms of crisis intervention, we have definitely seen a higher call volume and people that need emotional support and someone to talk to at this time,” she said.
Volunteering in a big room with others like her can't happen during the shelter-in-place order. Lily now answers the phone at home in the Chicago suburbs. She said that's her safe space, but for times like this, she'd rather be at PATH.
“It’s a place of work, so I go, I do my shift and I leave those feelings in the call center,” she said. “When I’m at home it’s different. I can’t just leave those emotions away. They stick.”
Paramedics
Other first responders have other stresses. Jeff Kiesling of Bloomington is a paramedic who faces the prospect of the coronavirus daily.
“It’s been a little more stressful not knowing if you are going to get it and bring it home to a loved one,” he said.
Keisling works for Bloomington Township and Randolph Township in Heyworth. Many paramedics have multiple jobs. He said that creates a heavier duty to keep safe.
“Not only are you taking somebody out from Randolph Township, you are taking them out of Bloomington Township or other departments down the road as well,” he said. “It’s basically a big chain event.”
Keisling said there are fewer calls since the pandemic began. That worries him. He said he fears some are afraid to seek medical treatment because they think they might catch the coronavairus at the hospital. He wishes they knew otherwise.
“It’s hard to convey that stuff to people when they don’t call,” he said.
Homeless Shelters
Many people seeking shelter at Home Sweet Home Ministries in Bloomington have started calling ahead. Kia Glenn is grateful for that.
“The very first question people ask is, ‘Do you have any COVID cases over there? Do you have any symptoms?’ We try to reassure them there aren’t any active cases here. We are all taking the necessary precautions,” she said.
Glenn works the front desk at the shelter. She sees a lot of stressed out people, including coworkers.
“Usually I can pick up on that pretty well,” she said. “That’s one of those things where you reach out to them. If they are like, ‘This pandemic is making me panic and I’m feeling anxiety.’ I pulled her aside and said, ‘Are you OK? Do you need a minute?’ Let them talk through it.”
Glenn said anger management classes she took at age 12 have helped her manage stress. She reminds herself to breathe. And as a pastor's daughter, she said prayer helps, too.
Police
Police officers also are dealing with shifting workloads during the pandemic. Bloomington Police officer Shad Wagehoft is the school resource officer at Evans Junior High. But since school is closed, he spends much of his day on regular patrols.
“What I’ve been telling my family is it’s domestics, deaths and mental health. Those are our top calls right now,” Wagehoft said.
Wagehoft said while most people are observing social distancing and looking after each other, staying 6 feet apart is apparently too much to ask for some.
“I can go on and on about the calls: ‘I’m walking my dog and outside and the neighbor was walking her dog and she didn’t give me 6 feet.’ And they’ve never had any issues before, but all of the sudden because one is not 6 feet away from the other one, it’s tension," he said.
Bloomington Police have developed a social services resource guide for officers to help the public find the specific help they need.
Wagehoft added it's best to simply lend an ear.
“When you are on the phone, sometimes it’s like when you talk to family and they just talk and talk and talk and you let them because you know you need to,” he said. “I think that’s what we are doing now. We are really a lot more patient.”
Officer mental well-being rose higher on the priority list when Dan Donath took over as Bloomington Police chief last year. He said the department offers counseling and he encourages officers whenever he can.
“It is our job to take care of the officers and it’s their job to take care of the citizens, because they are the ones that are actually the ones handling the calls for service,” said Donath, adding culture change has come in ways big and small.
Officers now find fresh fruit — apples, bananas and oranges — in the break room and their offices. Wagehoft said it comes in handy because cops often have to grab-and-go.
“It sounds like something little, but it really is something that people take advantage of here,” Wagehoft said.
First responders say the stress can overwhelm them at times, but they also thrive on some of that stress and on a desire to help others. Lily, the crisis call volunteer, said she wanted to be a nurse, but her time at PATH has caused her to reassess her career goals.
“Right now with the high call volumes that we have been receiving in regards to emotional support, it has reinforced where I need to be in the world, where I need to help people,” she said.
Lily said she draws to channel her creativity and goes outside for fresh air when things get tough. And she reminds herself of her calling, citing the old maxim: If not me, who?
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