What does resilience mean in a health care organization, and where do nurses, physicians and other caretakers go when they are the ones who need support? On Dec. 10, Kevin W. Sowers, president of the Johns Hopkins Health System and executive vice president of Johns Hopkins Medicine, hosted a Town Meeting to address staff wellness and resilience, particularly in times of stress.
“In my own personal and professional life, I’ve had situations that have put me in a place where I need support,” Sowers said. “None of us should be ashamed to reach out during times of need, and if you’re in that place, I encourage you to reach out.” He noted that a mantra he learned when he worked as a nurse years ago, one that he relies on often, is, “Be kind and calm.”
Three speakers spoke about programs that help staff deal with stressful situations.
RISE
Albert Wu, director of the Center for Health Services and Outcomes Research, talked about Resilience in Stressful Events (RISE), a Johns Hopkins Hospital peer-support program that provides emotional support to health care workers who are “second victims” of errors and other stressful patient-related events.
“Whenever there is a medical error there is always a second victim who was invested in doing well and feels traumatized by the experience,” Wu told the audience.
RISE began 10 years ago as a confidential service offering staff members who are struggling an empathetic listening ear from a trained responder. Wu stresses that this is psychological first aid — it is not equivalent to therapy or psychiatric care. RISE also hosts group sessions.
“Our goal is to have a RISE program throughout all Hopkins entities and to help other institutions set up similar programs,” Wu said.
MINDFULNESS
Neda Gould, clinical psychologist and director of the Johns Hopkins mindfulness program, spoke on the benefits of mindfulness, which she described as “the ability to live in the present moment without judging an experience as good or bad, and accepting what is happening in the present moment.” Gould conducts mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) courses, which are eight-week programs, as well as shorter versions of the program for staff members. Gould pointed to data collected on mindfulness meditation, which can decrease stress and burnout as well as lead to significant positive changes in the brain even after an eight-week course.
“If you’re able to clear the time and take the course, many people say that it is life changing,” said Gould.
MYSUPPORT
Frances Callahan, assistant director of the Johns Hopkins mySupport program, talked about the stress management aspects of the employee assistance program. Employees have 24/7 access to confidential counseling by calling 443-997-7000.
Callahan described the variety of reasons people contact mySupport. Some staff members are worried about issues at home, like difficulty with teenagers or the loss of a loved one. Others are experiencing stress with their managers or team at work. MySupport works hand-in-hand with RISE, she said — RISE generally functions as a first responder to an issue, and mySupport addresses ongoing stressors to find the problem’s root cause.
She encouraged staff to use the myStrength app, which helps develop habits that improve emotional well-being and includes tools to sleep better and to track mood.
For more information:
Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Program bit.ly/jhmindfulness
MySupport
password: JHHS or JHU
RISE