By Tyler Spence, The Herald-Dispatch
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. — Few professions have been thrust into the spotlight as abruptly as nurses.
The start of the pandemic was marked by scenes of New Yorkers cheering from their windows and balconies as nurses walked to work.
Essential workers during the beginning unknown stages of the pandemic were viewed as brave and heroic. Now they receive threats over the phone just for doing their job.
Leigh Allen, a registered nurse and director of Medical Surgeries Services at St. Mary’s Medical Center, explained the dynamic of nurses taking care of COVID-19 patients.
“You’d have family members (of COVID-19 patients) call and threaten nurses … It’s hard enough dealing with the crisis and taking care of sick people, taking care of yourself and worrying if you’re going to take it home to your family. To have people calling and harassing you for something you have no control over when you’re just doing your best — it was mentally straining for a lot of nurses,” Allen said…
