Presenters
- Rachelle Rene, PhD, BCB, HSMI, CGP, Enterprise Director of Integrated Behavioral Health, Jefferson Health; Sidney Kimmel Medical College, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA
- Amy Cunningham, PhD, MPH, Research Assistant Professor, School of Population Health, Sidney Kimmel Medical College, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA
- Mollie Cherson, LCSW, Lead Behavioral Health Consultant, Jefferson Health, Abington, PA
Summary
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Jefferson Health recognized a critical need to develop mental health and coping support for employees, specifically frontline health care workers. Throughout the pandemic, employees were navigating a variety of challenges unique to their roles in an academic medical center setting. From the experiences of clinicians facing daily trauma, moral injury and burnout; to the experiences of faculty, staff and corporate employees facing blurred work/life routines, childcare and remote work challenges, supporting employees during this unprecedented time required an innovative approach to mental health and coping support. An interdisciplinary team of behavioral health professionals, HR professionals, university administrators and change management leaders came together to create resources that would help alleviate anxiety, promote connection, foster resilience, prioritize self-care, and provide mental health intervention to those most vulnerable. Additionally, few COVID-19 employee wellness initiatives have been evaluated and have primarily focused on frontline health care workers. This session will highlight the four-tiered `Pyramid of Care’ approach that Jefferson developed to meet the emotional and mental health needs of employees during the pandemic and describe the feasibility and utilization of, and participant satisfaction for virtual COVID-19 employee wellness sessions conducted at this large university and health system. Method: Thomas Jefferson University behavioral health consultants (BHCs) and behavioral health leaders developed and offered JeffBeWell (JBW) wellness sessions over 17 weeks during March 2020 through July 2020. Sessions were advertised via mass emails and an employee intranet. Multiple live thirty-minute sessions were offered weekly; facilitators provided psychoeducation and offered coping tools. Topics included working remotely, parenting, sleep, nutrition, grief, anxiety, and yoga and relaxation. Attendance was tracked and participants were asked to complete satisfaction surveys; survey data was analyzed using descriptive statistics. Results: A total of 388 sessions were offered with 1,324 participants. Attendance rose in weeks 1- 5, followed by a decline and then a second increase in Weeks 15 through 17, 213 participants (16%) responded to the survey. The largest portion of respondents were in academic administrative roles (46%), followed by clinical providers and staff (34%) and faculty and students (9%). Of respondents, 91% of respondents felt that the sessions met their expectations, 92% felt the session helped them, and 92% planned to attend future sessions. Discussion: JBW sessions were feasible to implement, attended by diverse participants and well received by survey respondents, although attendance has fluctuated during the pandemic. BHCs have refined sessions based on participant feedback and are tailoring more sessions to specific audiences.
Objectives
- Participants will be able to describe a four-tiered "Pyramid of Care" model for mental health and coping resources and identify at least 1 way to inco
- Participants will be able to take way at least 1 lesson learned from this program evaluation.
- Participants will be able to feel empowered to bring their knowledge and expertise back to their organization to promote staff wellness.