Employee Well-Being
Employee Well-Being
For health care workers, the impact of stress and burnout was felt well before the pandemic. Long hours, unpredictable schedules and the increasing burden of technology all were contributing factors to whether health care workers were satisfied with their jobs and would stay in the field. The last several years have only exacerbated these feelings.
OHA joined organizations across the country to raise awareness and education about mental health, fight stigma associated with accessing treatment and advocate for policies that support Ohio’s health care workers. Led by OHA’s Hospital Employee Emotional Well-Being Task Force, we have launched several tools for OHA members to help support the emotional and mental well-being of health care workers.
Report from OHA’s Hospital Employee Emotional Well-Being Task Force
This report details the work of the Task Force and provides information on employee well-being programs that have been implemented by OHA’s member hospitals and health systems.
Well-Being Care Service
The Well-Being Checkup And Referral Engagement (CARE) Service is a simple, no cost anonymous checkup of your mental and emotional health. It is designed specifically for Ohio’s health care workers and can be shared and completed free-of-charge.
The first step is a voluntary and completely anonymous questionnaire designed to help you assess your current state of mental health and well-being. Once completed, a licensed mental health professional will review your questionnaire and provide you with a personalized response that includes, should you be interested in pursuing them, vetted services that are available throughout Ohio in person and via telehealth.
This service is provided thanks to the Ohio State Medical Association Foundation in partnership with the Ohio Physicians Health Plan and the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.
Mindfulness in Motion
The Ohio Hospital Association has partnered with Gabbe Health and Wellness of the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center to share free resources that were developed to address provider resilience, especially as the pandemic continues to burden our health care teams. These videos provide short opportunities of mindfulness and reflection for providers. Click here to view the resource.
OHA Contact
Andy Sturgess-White
Senior Director, Health Economics & Policy
Internal Resources
Become an Ohio Recovery Friendly Workplace
The Recovery Friendly Workplace Program helps employers support individuals in recovery by removing barriers and stigma for individuals with mental health conditions or a substance use disorder.
Seasonal Affective Disorders guide from the National Institute of Mental Health
The National Institute of Mental Health provides a guide for identifying and addressing seasonal affective disorders.
National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health Healthcare Worker Well-being
The CDC's National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health provides a guide for leaders to implement systems-level changes to promote access to mental health treatment.
Buckeye Paws
Buckeye Paws was founded to promote the mental and emotional health of staff and faculty at Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center by providing support and comfort through highly trained, certified therapy dog-handler teams. A visit with a friendly, non-judgmental therapy dog can change the dynamics of the work environment, improve mood and decrease stress.
Strengthening the Health Care Workforce
The health care workforce is our most precious resource. Hospitals and health systems are committed to supporting them today, preparing them for tomorrow and building a pathway for the future. This report, developed under the guidance of the AHA Board of Trustees’ Task Force on Workforce and with input from many members of the AHA, will help hospitals navigate workforce challenges and opportunities, as well as highlight strategies and resources to assist on these pivotal efforts.
Well@Work Podcast
Join the University of Kentucky Center on Trauma and Children as they present strategies that cover a variety of topics to build resilience and emotional well-being to assist and empower workers and supervisors to stay well at work. These podcasts are provided through a grant from SAMHSA to the Department of Behavioral Health Developmental and Intellectual Disabilities to the University of Kentucky Center on Trauma and Children.
U.S. Surgeon General's Advisory on Building a Thriving Health Workforce
This advisory contains steps that different stakeholders can take together to address health worker burnout. It calls for change in the systems, structures, and cultures that shape health care.
Clinician Well-Being Playbook
These resources from the American Hospital Association will help you take action by systematically tackling drivers of burnout and implementing changes to promote well-being. The process will take time, but the journey to a strong sustainable culture begins with a few steps.
AHA Talent Scan
The Health Care Talent Scan from the AHA will help you better understand the latest forces and trends affecting health care human resources. Based on a review of reports, studies and other data sources from leading organizations and researchers, it provides workforce insights you can use to guide your organization forward during this time of uncertainty and continued transformation.
AHA Trendwatch
The workforce trends discussed in this AHA paper fall within six broad categories: professional shortages; financial pressures; burnout; workplace violence; the evolving workforce; and diversity.
Market Insight Report on Automated Intelligence
This AHA Center for Health Innovation, Market Insights report offers hospital and health system leaders an overview of the health care AI landscape, including the common use cases for AI in four broad areas: administrative, financial, operational and clinical.
Supporting the Mental Health of Healthcare Workers Playbook
This playbook from the Minnesota Hospital Association provides a way for health care organizations to assess the overall mental health of their workforce, create a strong strategy to meet those needs and implement the plan in a fast yet effective manner.
Clinician Well-Being Collaborative
The National Academy of Medicine has launched Resource Compendium for Health Care Worker Well-Being, which highlights tools that are ready to be deployed and strategies to address systems issues related to health care workers’ burnout.
OSU STAR & BEST Program
OSU STAR assists professionals through specialized training before traumatic exposure happens, and provides direct, temporary emotional support to professionals when needed. The STAR Brief Emotional Support Team (BEST) program uses evidence-based training and therapy that is customized to assist first responders and health care professionals to respond effectively in a crisis while also engaging in skills that build resilience to cope with chronic exposure to stress.
Well-Being Index
Mayo Clinic researchers invented and validated the Well-Being Index to: Anonymously measure well-being in less than 1-minute; predict risk of distress over six dimensions; provide immediate resources to participants; deliver comprehensive reporting to wellness leaders; and track individual and organizational progress over time.