Mental Health of Healthcare Workers During the COVID-19 Pandemic

CHaMP: A Model for Building a Center to Support Health Care Worker Well-Being After Experiencing an Adverse Event

BACKGROUND

With an already distressed health care workforce demonstrating high levels of burnout, depression, and suicide, access to behavioral health care, particularly after an adverse event, is critical. Unfortunately, clinicians identify multiple barriers to seeking behavioral support. In 2022 the National Academy of Medicine, in its National Plan for Health Workforce Well-Being, established "Support Mental Health and Reduce Stigma" as one of its seven priority areas.

FRAMEWORK

The authors developed a program called CHaMP (Center for Healthy Minds and Practice) guided by a multidisciplinary task force that developed the vision, plan, and algorithms to improve crisis response; build a peer support program; and remove barriers to accessing mental health care by establishing an on-campus behavioral health support center. This program was implemented using Kotter's 8-step Model of Change.

RESULTS

Within the first months of establishing this program, the support team responded to multiple activations of the crisis response plan, built a peer support program, and provided counseling services to 631 employees. During the COVID-19 pandemic, CHaMP played a central role in the support of all employees.

CONCLUSION

This program and its implementation based on Kotter's 8-Step Model of Change was a powerful and practical methodology to design and implement interventions to address system and individual factors that affect clinician well-being and resilience after an adverse event.