Of the many responsibilities ChristianaCare CEO Janice Nevin, MD, shoulders, the well-being of her staff keeps her awake at night the most.
"Our healthcare workforce has been extraordinary in rising to the challenge of COVID, but it has certainly come at a cost. And you know, many in the workforce are burnt out. They're angry," she told Becker's July 8. "I think that sort of silent relief that we thought we would get as the COVID numbers came down really hasn't happened. We are busier than we have ever been before. With more patients, higher acuity, complicated by mental health issues. This is sort of the crisis, I think, that's facing all of us across the country."
Newark, Del.-based ChristianaCare established its Center for WorkLife Wellbeing in 2013. The multidisciplinary team of psychologists and peer counselors has played an integral role in getting the health system's staff through the pandemic.
"We have peer counselors, and they are out and about all the time interacting with front-line workers, offering them some resources in the way of maybe, you know, a snack or something to de-fog their glasses," she said.
"I heard about caregivers who were going home, stripping in the garage, running through the house to get to the shower. And [we realized we needed] to invest in disposables. So that's a very specific example about how this [program] works. It allows us to bring resources that our caregivers are telling us that they need to the floor," she said.
ChristianaCare has continued to advocate for mental and behavioral awareness amid the pandemic. The health system partnered with the New Castle County Division of Police last August on an initiative where a team of mental health professionals work alongside community police officers to facilitate proper treatment of patients struggling with addiction and substance use disorders.
"As I reflect on what we have learned from COVID, I have been deliberate about not using the words 'silver lining,'" Dr. Nevin said. "There's been so much suffering, and that suffering continues, frankly. The way that we really honor the suffering is to take all that we have learned and commit to building back better, and the opportunity to do that is now. We've got to ensure that we are paying attention to those partnerships that can really support the work that needs to be done to impact health, not just care. And do it in a way so that humans can flourish, and find joy and meaning and purpose in life."