The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences has been selected as one of six locations for a national initiative developed to improve the emotional and physical well-being of health care workers.
The non-profit Schwartz Center for Compassionate Healthcare developed the program for leadership in a health care sector rife with employee burnout and attrition after three grueling years of the coronavirus pandemic. By finding new ways to address employee well-being, the Healing Healthcare Initiative will enable workers to "focus on delivering equitable and compassionate patient care," a UAMS news release Wednesday said.
"The past three years have been incredibly difficult ones for health care professionals around the world, and UAMS is no exception," Dr. Michelle Krause, UAMS Medical Center CEO, said in the news release. "I think it will become evident in the coming years that the health care industry will struggle to heal others until we first heal ourselves."
The initiative will provide leadership with evidence-based resources and tools in key areas including: psychological and physical safety; team cohesiveness and collaboration; mental health and well-being; and diversity and equity, UAMS said.
The Schwartz Center has more than 600 member organizations in the U.S., Canada, Australia and New Zealand. In 2019, UAMS partnered with the Schwartz Center to launch Schwartz Rounds, which are sessions where employees can share challenging emotional aspects about their jobs.
