Healthcare is an essential part of society.

Americans everywhere rely upon nurses, doctors, and other medical practitioners. Whether they need help with fighting diseases, getting prescriptions written, etc., there's no denying this country would suffer greatly without the presence of healthcare workers.

Unfortunately, these folks have been put through the wringer in recent years. COVID imposed quite a strain on the healthcare community in general. This became such a problem that many medical practitioners quit their jobs altogether, thereby leaving a shortage in their wake.

Now, breaking news from the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) warns that today's healthcare workers continue to wrestle with serious mental health issues.

A closer look at the issues facing America's healthcare workers

The CDC recently revealed that last year, almost 50% of medical practitioners admitted to feeling burned out. Back in 2018, just under 33% of healthcare workers said the same thing. The rise in burnout over the four-year time period clearly indicates trouble, especially in the long term.

It gets worse, though. Not only is the healthcare industry rife with staff facing mental health issues, but people working in this industry are also reporting growing harassment incidents.

In fact, some folks who walked away from their jobs in the medical field cited burnout, demanding hours, and ongoing exposure to illness as their reasons. Then, there's also the emotional stress of looking after sick people that's been very well-documented over the years.

Officials tracking this latest trend finally revealed that COVID made problems that already existed significantly worse.

This doesn't bode well for the country

To have swarms of medical practitioners facing harassment, feeling morally dejected, stressed, and otherwise burned out isn't good. It increases the likelihood of more shortages in the healthcare field later down the line.

Without a robust and fully equipped healthcare industry, more Americans in need of medical care will suffer. Elective surgeries, for starters, may become harder to access, just as the nation observed when COVID hit.

Time will ultimately tell if these latest CDC findings lead to any substantial changes as they pertain to the environments healthcare workers are regularly subjected to.