Healthcare workers are in a precarious position on the frontlines of the struggle against COVID-19. In China, Italy, and Spain, thousands of healthcare workers have been infected with the coronavirus. More than 150 healthcare workers in four Boston hospitals were reported to have been infected.

Frontline healthcare workers are likely to experience fear, anxiety, anger, grief, depression, and feelings of helplessness and powerlessness. Many professionals are choosing to isolate themselves from family members to avoid potential transmission of the virus, thus eliminating important sources of social support. Frontline caregivers may also experience compassion fatigue, vicarious trauma, and secondary stress, as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to tax the American healthcare system and exact its toll on the mental health of physicians, nurses, respiratory therapists, and other direct care professionals.