MediSys Health Network prioritizes staff well-being
COVID-19 has had an unprecedented impact on the mental health and well-being of healthcare workers on the frontlines of pandemic response, potentially threatening care quality. Since spring 2020, MediSys Health Network has creatively adapted and provided much-needed care for its healthcare team and patients.
MediSys implemented a multi-pronged approach to foster increased support for its team’s mental and emotional well-being, which continues to grow even in this new pandemic phase. Programming includes:
- staff wellness stations — physical spaces set up to facilitate relaxation and access to verbal and non-verbal therapeutic modalities;
- wellness rounds — therapists walks through medical units to briefly check in with staff and offer support;
- aromatherapy and handmade affirmation cards;
- wellness groups — therapeutic art groups facilitated by licensed creative arts therapists;
- wellness sign-out sessions — brief group meetings for nursing staff during morning sign-outs that focus on guided meditations and discussion;
- individual phone calls — to offer wellness resources to all frontline team members; and
- individual wellness sessions – therapists provide short-term, confidential emotional support to staff experiencing difficult life circumstances.
For more information, contact Karen Codd, MPS, LCAT, ATR-BC, DAT-c, Jamaica Hospital senior wellness coordinator, at kcodd@jhmc.org, or Deb Brass, MS, LCAT, ATR-BC, Flushing Hospital senior wellness coordinator, at dbrass@jhmc.org.
