Mather Hospital’s “Partial Hospitalization Self-Care Program” was one of five plans selected as finalists in Northwell Health’s Healthy Work Environment Challenge. Team members voted for one of 16 plans presented by hospitals across the system. The winning plan will be chosen in a few weeks.

Mather’s plan centers around reducing stress among team members through programming and training in meditation and movement, aromatherapy, reiki classes, incentivized outdoor walks – all staff agree to the importance of breaks/walks for stress reduction and self care and support each other in doing so –  and promoting Mather Hospital’s wellness programs onsite.

“The focus of our improvement plan was to enhance resiliency and self-care to mitigate job-related stress,” said Sue Morin, NPP, director, Mather Partial Hospitalization Program. “This was done by creating a wellness self-care bundle with services such as aromatherapy, acupuncture, reiki and mindful practices that had a foundation of mentoring from leadership – especially our CNO – that in essence gave permission and encouragement to team members to take time for wellness and self-care.

“We offered education about how to enhance wellness and then provided opportunities for staff to experience wellness practices.”

“The health of the work environment is dependent on the overall health of the employees,” said Gloria Fortune, NPP.

The team wellness program included:

  • Leadership support and mentoring
  • Onsite four-hour training in mindfulness, meditation and movement
  • Encouragement to utilize break time for mindful meals or walking
  • Train the trainer program in aromatherapy and reiki
  • Provision of aromatherapy to staff by on-site clinicians
  • Opportunity to participate in hospital sponsored tranquility program
  • Acupuncture/acupressure
  • Reiki
  • Labyrinth meditation
  • Hypnosis

 

“This plan is ready to implement across the system,” said Marie O’Brien, DNP, ANP-C, coordinator. Integrative Pain Management Program. “It blends well with current resources such as the Northwell Center for Integrative Health and Wellness, team lavender, Stress First Aid and Center for Trauma and Resilience. There are system-wide internal integrative care experts to grow this program at any Northwell site”.

The project was a pilot at Partial Hospitalization and includes Marie O’Brien, DNP, ANP-C, coordinator, Integrative Pain Management Program; Patricia Dodd, NP, acupuncturist and Margie Scharback, RN, reiki master from the Integrative Wellness Team at Mather; Angela Ruggiero, RT, recreational therapist; Gloria Fortune, NPP, psychiatry; and the entire Partial Hospitalization Program team who participated; with support and guidance Denise Driscoll, NP, AVP Behavioral Health, and Marie Mulligan, PhD, RN, CNO/ Vice President for Nursing, and Magnet Coordinator Maureen Altieri, RN.