Chair File: Sustaining the Well-being of Our Health Care Workforce
Working in health care delivery can be stressful and tiring under normal circumstances. And the COVID-19 pandemic has exerted incredible pressures on the emotional and physical well-being of our health care professionals.
Hospitals and health systems across the country are confronting these challenges every day. At Providence, we’re offering an array of programs and services to support our caregivers, including a behavioral health concierge, a caregiver assistance program, a library of online resources, and easy access to crisis resources. We even have a virtual calming room with choices of relaxing sounds. All are at no charge, and most services are available to caregivers’ households. I know many other systems are responding in similar ways.
The AHA has long recognized workforce resilience and burnout as significant issues in health care. Since the pandemic began, the AHA has published and shared resources for the field and the public. These cover a variety of topics, including stress and coping, suicide prevention and clinician well-being.
In addition, the AHA is urging Congress to support strengthening and diversifying the health care workforce by expanding nursing schools and training programs, as well as slowing the growing shortage of physicians by expanding medical schools and lifting the cap on Medicare-funded residency positions.
We’re also calling for Congress to enact the Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act. Named for a physician who led the emergency department at New York-Presbyterian Allen Hospital, this legislation would authorize grants to create programs that offer behavioral health services for front-line health care workers.
During a July Leadership Rounds session, I talked with Robert Trestman, M.D., chair for psychiatry and behavioral medicine at Carilion Clinic, about the far-reaching effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health and well-being of health care professionals, as well as patients and families. He offers helpful insights that are worth a listen.
Our hospital teams have been on the front lines of the COVID-19 battle for nearly two years now, providing compassionate care for our loved ones. Let’s respond to that dedication by providing health care workers with the support they need during this pandemic marathon and into the future.
Rod Hochman, M.D.
AHA Chair