Vol 20 Issue 2,  April 4, 2022
 
As I ponder the world we’re living in as we transition to life beyond COVID, there’s a saying that comes to mind —
 

           “It ain’t over till the fat lady sings.”

We should not presume to know the outcome of an event which is still in progress. More specifically, it’s appropriate to recall that phrase when a crisis nears its conclusion. It seems like that’s just about now.

We hope.

In particular, I’m thinking of the state of our healthcare workers. Many of them have been traumatized while taking care of a constant influx of COVID patients for two long years. We’ve all heard the stories about their hardships during the worst times. Units were overwhelmed, and people were working 16 and 18-hour shifts with no days off for weeks at a time. PPE was in short supply. And there was the heart-wrenching job of standing in for loved ones who were not permitted to be present for their loved one.

What’s important is what we do now, as the crisis apparently begins to subside, to support them as they recover.

I have read that the mental health toll shows up most dramatically post-crisis, and that’s why it’s important to pay particular attention now as they – along with the rest of us – begin re-adjusting to life post-COVID.

I want to make our readers aware that there’s a new law that could be helpful. 

Background: An ER physician, Dr. Lorna Green, died by suicide early in the pandemic. Dr. Green, 49, was an emergency room nurse on the front lines in New York City in March 2020 when COVID-19 first overwhelmed the city’s hospital systems. She contracted the virus, but she went immediately back to work as the surge of patients and deaths continued, working 12-hour shifts.

Although she reached out to her family for help, it was not enough; the mental health issues from the stress of the pandemic prevailed, and she died by suicide. According to her family, she had never had any previous mental health issues.

Her sister and brother-in-law felt strongly that her death was unnecessary, and they went to work to do everything they could to help other healthcare professionals combat burnout and other mental health issues.

You can find their compelling story as reported on the Today Show here.

The result of their hard work recently came to fruition — The Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act, which provides federal grants for mental health programs for healthcare professionals who have been combating stress during the pandemic.

The new law is the first legislation of its kind. It provides Federal grants for programs to “promote mental health and resiliency among health care providers” as well as grants for “relevant mental and behavioral health training for health care students, residents, or professionals.”
 
The bill additionally, directs HHS to conduct a campaign “to (1) encourage health care providers to seek support and treatment for mental and behavioral health concerns, and (2) disseminate best practices to prevent suicide and improve mental health and resiliency among health care providers.”

And finally, it direct HHS to “study and develop policy recommendations on

• improving mental and behavioral health among health care providers,
• removing barriers to accessing care and treatment, and
• identifying strategies to promote resiliency”

You can read the entire law, which is all of one page long, here.
 
In our culture, there’s a stigma surrounding mental illness, emotional issues, and even burnout, that presents a barrier to seeking care among the general population.

That stigma can have an even stronger impact on healthcare professionals. They face not only personal taboos; the prospect of seeking help also triggers in them professional fears – loss of licensure, loss of income, and other meaningful career setbacks. 

Beyond caring about our healthcare workers as the important human beings that they are, we are also talking about the effects of their mental issues on the human beings they are caring for. Optimal clinician mental health is essential to ensuring that patients have a strong and capable healthcare workforce to provide the quality of care that they need and deserve.

 

We Can Help

While healthcare worker burnout and mental health issues have moved to the forefront in the wake of COVID, they are not new topics for many of our speakers. 

I wrote a blog back in 2016 about two of our mental health speakers, Frank King and LaDonna Gatlin. Both are professional motivational speakers who have dealt with depression and suicidal thoughts in their own lives, and both are willing to share openly about their experiences. 

They both agree that there’s too much silence and shame around mental illness; it needs to be brought out of the shadows. And both use humor as the pathway to hope and healing. You might want to read my original blog post here.

The options include speakers on several topics related to recovering. For example, our cancer survivor speaker, Lee Tomlinson, is passionate about combating burnout in healthcare. In his program, Burnout Back to Balance, he shares firsthand the destructive impact on patients of burnout and lack of self-care by healthcare providers.

“Being mentally, emotionally and physically healthy is not selfish or narcissistic, it is a necessity,” he says. In this program, he shares practical methods to avoid compassion fatigue, so healthcare providers can learn to love themselves and thus be their best, most compassionate selves with patients.

In these volatile times, I’m seeing not only hospitals concerned about their staff but also corporations waking up to the importance of taking care of their employees. Resilience and self-care have been the most popular topics in the last few months, particularly for virtual meetings, for both corporate clients and nurses. 

There are a wide range of approaches to these topics, and I may be able to help you select speakers who present topics to address your needs. If you see value for your company or organization in offering a program tailored to your staff’s specific needs, please give me a call at 503-699-5031 or email barbara@speakwellbeing.com to start a conversation so that together we can develop a program that would be best suited for your people.

 

Happy Spring!

Here in Portland, Oregon, where I live, temperatures are warming, flowering trees are in full bloom, daffodils are showing off, and tulips are on the rise.

Getting outdoors to clean up yard debris is giving me a welcome lift from the winter blues, as I uncover new shoots poking through the ground. Having moved here from Michigan, almost 24 years ago, I still marvel when I get to enjoy spring flowers this early.

Actually, we’ve had hellebores blooming in the yard since January, and we planted two new camellias with first flowers on them back then and they are still blooming. And now the fruits of my labor — having buried those daffodil and tulip bulbs in pots in dark, cold November — are bursting forth, bringing me joy as I go out every day to see what’s blooming.

All good for my mental — and physical — health. Until next time, please take care of yourself for your well being and those you love.

Yours truly,

Barbara

For Your Well Being is published with the intention of bringing you insider speaker reports, exclusive stories about special events around the country, meeting planner tips, and fun stuff from the worlds of health and well being. Be well and be in the know!

The Speak Well Being Group is a specialized speakers bureau, focusing on health and wellness for all types of organizations that want to foster health and well being for their employees, members, clients, and in their communities.

We hand select our speakers, and they are not only experts in their fields; they inspire and motivate attendees. Our ultimate goal is to make a positive difference in their lives — a sense of well being, ease, and hope — and likely enjoy some laughter and levity along the way.

Finding the perfect keynote speaker for your special event or conference is my personal passion, not just once, but year after year. It brings me great joy to know that your audience was delighted and moved by the speaker we selected together. I’m committed to making the process easy, pleasant and fun.