Memorial Hermann providing mental health support for staff
Memorial Hermann Health System has launched new mental health programs to help its employees tackle the stress of working during the era of coronavirus, one of several initiatives in Houston to support front-line workers who are faced with the day-to-day realities of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Health care workers are at high risk of developing anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder during the pandemic. Unlike a natural disaster, the source of the afflictions shows no signs of stopping, medical experts say.
The impacts can be farreaching: stressed clinicians mean lower quality of care, and a higher chance that mistakes are made while caring for patients.
“We are constantly reminding our employees that to be able to take good care of people who need our care, we need to take good care of ourselves,” said David Callender, the president and CEO of Memorial Hermann Health System.
Thehospital systemis offering its employees an extra day of paid time off to use as a mental health day, a free subscription to meditation app Headspace and increased counseling services. It’s also in the process of building relaxation rooms on all of its hospital campuses, with three already open at their hospitals in The-Woodlands, Sug-
“We are constantly reminding our employees that to be able to take good care of people who need our care, we need to take good care of ourselves.”
David Callender, president and CEO of Memorial Hermann Health System
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Not only do doctors, nurses and other clinical staff face the stress of constantly treating COVID-19 patients who may not recover from the virus, they’re also worried about bringing the sickness home to their kids, elderly parents or roommates.
Callender said the hospital’s administration realized that health care workers are overwhelmed by the spike in severely ill patients and that there is no end in sight for the pandemic.
“Memorial Hermann’s move is
really remarkable,” said Dr. Charles Nemeroff, a professor of psychiatry at the University of Texas at Austin’s Dell Medical School. “I wish this was happening across the U.S., because it’s been pretty spotty.”
Overcoming stigma
With programs in place, health care experts said the next step was to convince clinical staff to use them.
While many people, regardless of profession, are afraid of seeking counseling or therapy, health care workers face stigma compounded by feelings that experiencing mental health issues disqualifies them from providing good care to their patients.
The University of St. Thomas launched a free telehealth counseling service called Healing Our Heroes in September, aimed at providing therapy to first responders and health care providers in the region. But so far, few have called the school’s clinic to talk.
Dr. Grant Sasse, a psychiatrist who oversees the program, estimated that the virtual clinic receives an average of three calls per week.
UT-Austin’s Dell Medical School also offers a mental health help hotline for health care workers, but few have called in, said Nemeroff. Some days, the hotline receives no calls.
‘A happpy workplace’
Addressing workers’ mental health is good not only for employees, but also for employers. David Schein, a business law professor at the University of St. Thomas’ Cameron School of Business, said a healthy and happy workforce reduces turnover, something companies may be particularly concerned about during the coronavirus-driven recession.
“It’s going to sound cliche,” Schein said, “but people want a happy workplace. It’s not just the amount of money or the benefits, it’s the overall feeling you’re wanted and appreciated.”
Across Houston, people have put out yard signs calling health care workers heroes and restaurants have donated meals to hospitals on the front lines of COVID-19. Experts said employers need to follo wthat by reassuring their employees that it’s OK to take a dayoff and seek help to handle the onslaught of patients.
“This is like being in a foxhole during a war,” Nemeroff, the UT-Austin professor, said. “All of us have taken the Hippocratic oath to do the best we canfor people. This kind of severity of stress as you’re trying to save lives — literally — takes its toll.