ABSTRACT
The COVID-19 pandemic has had an unprecedented impact on the US health care system which was already experiencing higher levels of personal burnout among health care workers than the average US worker. Well-being efforts to support the workforce have become a critical countermeasure during the pandemic. This work was presented at the Thomas Jefferson University, College of Population Health Seminar Series: Clinical Lessons from the Northeast Surge, COVID-19: Spread the Science, not the Virus, held August 18, 2020. The entire series was held virtually from July 21 to September 29, 2020. The authors describe issues impacting health care workers during this early period of the pandemic with two examples of concrete strategies to approach well-being at the organizational level and lessons learned.
Subject(s)
COVID-19 , Humans , SARS-CoV-2 , Pandemics , Health Personnel , Delivery of Health Care , WorkforceABSTRACT
Having been in existence for several years, ChristianaCare's Center for WorkLife Wellbeing was well-positioned to spearhead many collaborative efforts designed to promote caregiver wellbeing during the current prolonged pandemic. The chief wellness officer took several actions as a senior physician leader to ensure that caregiver wellbeing was a priority and that caregivers' concerns were used to promote positive change. The team members of the Center were able to adapt existing programs and services - and expand others - to ensure that caregivers were supported and capable of caring for patients with confidence. Supporting caregiver wellbeing is not the work of one office, but rather the entire system. Coordinated action is necessary to enact changes at the system level that make caregiver wellbeing a priority in the face of a national health crisis.