COVID-19 in a Mental Health Facility

Reflection of a girl residing in a transitional mental health facility during COVID.

April 6, 2020

Hasley Foote

text story

English Health & Wellness

English Healthcare

English Biography

Dragonfly Transitions

weight loss

stress

staff

Klamath Falls

mental health

facility

recovery

Mental Health

04/06/2020

10/09/2020

09//03/2021

10/07/2021

04/06/2020

I am a 19 year old girl who is currently residing in a transitional mental health facility due to a past suicide attempt. I've been in Dragonfly transitions for about 3 or 4 months now. It is generally a 9-12 month program. There is a set schedule for each student, and contact with the community at large is encouraged and often required. We buy our own groceries at one the local grocery store on Sunday, as well as doing laundry at one of the local laundromats. Every Saturday we have various activities avaliable, and students are required to participate in at least one. Activities often include local events, or traveling to local entertainment businesses. There are over 23 students currently living on campus. As well as at least 4 active staff on any given day. We officially count as a family unit, so although us gathering in large groups is discouraged by staff, it is technically not illegal and staff does not prevent us from doing so. Most staff wear face masks, but most, if not all, students do not. Because mental health programs tend to being in people across the country, we do still receive new students who have come from other states. The two main student houses have gone through some changes in the past few weeks resulting in each house having a designated quarantine room, with access to it's own kitchen and bathroom, separated from the other students' living areas. We got a new student recently, in from California, they had to spend their first week in the quarantine room before moving into their official apartment. Spring break trips were cancelled, and Saturday activities that involve other people are also cancelled until further notice. Currently our activities consist moreso of movie nights, going to the park, board gaming, and Smash Bros. tournaments. Families travelling to Klamath to visit with students is prohibited, as well as students making home visits to spend time with family. We are stuck in Klamath Falls. My hands sting from the amount of hand sanitizer we have to use. Staff sanitize all staff areas on a very regular basis, and encourage us to do the same in our living spaces. I cannot give my favorite staff member hugs anymore. It is very sad. It is clear the staff are also stressed about the situation. They have become much more snappy and impatient with us. They don't like being approached about this, reminding us that they are human too and they are stressed out about the situation. I feel trapped, I can't visit home, home can't visit me, and I'm being treated poorly by staff I used to respect, and I'm unable to do anything about it. It's incredibly stressful. Students now spend much of their time complaining about staff behind their backs. Other times we overhear staff complaining about students behind our backs. I try to spend as much time in my room as possible at the moment. There are some staff I do feel comfortable around at the moment, and I tend to be in a much better, more relaxed mood during shifts where at least one of them is working. I have an eating disorder. (ARFID) Despite the current state of the medical profession, it has been easy for me to book appointments with doctors. My weight, however, is suffering. Again, I try not to leave my room when certain staff are working these days. Which means fewer trips to the kitchen. The grocery store has also been short on supplies, and many of the few foods I am able to eat are not readily available. My weight, which has already been suffering, is only dropping more. Last time I weighed myself I was 82 pounds. It's really tough. And it's really tough feeling like the people who have been trained to support you are now taking their stress and frustrations out on you. This is a young adult program. And yet everybody is currently being treated like whiny children. I've seriously been considering leaving the program at this point. It's just become too much.

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