Sen. John Fetterman has resumed some of his duties since checking in to a hospital weeks earlier for clinical depression, according to his team.
Adam Jentleson, Fetterman’s chief of staff, tweeted a photo Monday showing the Pennsylvania Democrat working with his team on Senate-related issues. The photo appeared to have been taken inside the hospital, showing the senator doing his job while continuing to work on his mental health.
“Productive morning with Senator Fetterman at Walter Reed discussing the rail safety legislation, Farm Bill and other Senate business,” Jentleson tweeted. “John is well on his way to recovery and wanted me to say how grateful he is for all the well wishes. He’s laser-focused on PA & will be back soon.”
Fetterman checked himself into Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on Feb. 16 after struggling with his depression, drawing widespread support for voluntarily seeking help and normalizing prioritizing mental health. Fetterman has been open about his mental health and previous depressive episodes, but Jentleson said at the time of hospital admission that Fetterman’s depression “only became severe in recent weeks.”
Last year, Fetterman was hospitalized for experiencing a stroke caused by atrial fibrillation – resulting in an auditory processing disorder that the senator’s political opponents tried to weaponize against him. Dr. Will Cronenwett, the psychiatry chief at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine, told The Associated Press that about a third of stroke patients experience depression after the episode.
Last week, Fetterman spokesperson Joe Calvello said the senator “remains on a path to recovery” but that his healing “will be a weeks-long process.” Fetterman began treatment at the recommended inpatient level, which typically has the patient eventually step down to one or two levels of outpatient care before being discharged.
He “is visiting with staff and family daily, and his staff are keeping him updated on Senate business and news,” Calvello said in a statement. “Our team is moving full speed ahead and working tirelessly for the people of Pennsylvania. Just last week, we opened a new office in Erie and will be opening several more offices in the coming weeks.”