Caring for others is a calling. With that calling comes unique challenges that can be stressful and even exhausting. In 2022, the published that nearly half of health workers reported often feeling burned out.
For many people who work in health care, their role as a caregiver often extends beyond their job duties and includes caring for their loved ones.
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When we are focused on the needs of others, it can be easy to put our own needs on the back burner. Whether we’re navigating parenthood, caring for our aging parents or just trying to care for ourselves, having access to resources and support can have a huge impact on our wellbeing at work and at home.
At Sanford Health, we are committed to supporting employees’ well-being. Our Employee Assistance Program offers every employee and their families 24/7 access to free counseling and peer coaching. This includes marital and family counseling. Accessible from any mobile device, a wide variety of free resources, tools and education are also available.
Topics include financial consulting, legal services, parenting and caregiver support, childcare locator, senior living, grief and loss support, home care, government program assistance, addiction and recovery, living with chronic illnesses and disabilities, healthy living and many more.
Last summer, we also began offering employees timely support for work-related stressors, such as adverse patient outcomes and challenging patient experiences through the Employee Wellness Behavioral Health Therapy program.
This free service can be provided on site through a confidential and timely process. Within the first six months alone, the program saw 296 encounters — 90% of those employees found the service to be helpful and, in many cases, enabled them to return to work sooner.
Because physical activity is also an essential part of our health and well-being, all employees are provided free, 24/7 access to the Sanford Bemidji Medical Center gym. Free yoga classes are offered regularly on campus, and we are continually evaluating new opportunities to improve access to exercise equipment at other locations, such as treadmills and stationary bikes for employees to use.
Lack of childcare can also have a huge impact on a parent’s well-being and ability to work. Next month, we look forward to formally welcoming local child care and preschool provider, to open the Pine Pals Nest within the Sanford Lake Region building across the street from the Sanford Bemidji Medical Center.
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The new center will provide much-needed child care from 6:30 a.m. to 7:45 p.m. Monday to Friday, with approximately 30 spots available for children (six weeks to 35 months). Though preference will be given to Sanford Health employees, enrollment is available to all community members.
In addition to providing resources, a key part of supporting employees is also understanding that sometimes they need to be able to step away to focus on their own health and loved ones. At Sanford Health, we offer leave options for child bonding/maternity, volunteer time off, personal leave, compassionate (bereavement), living donor, personal/non-medical and military reasons.
Financial burdens can also greatly impact our well-being, especially if they are significant or unforeseen. Any Sanford Health employee can apply for financial assistance through the Employee Crisis Assistant Program. The program assists with basic needs such as food, shelter and clothing while the employee is going through a hardship.
Since 2020, the fund has provided more than $2.2 million in assistance to nearly 2,300 employees. Financial guidance is also available through our retirement program provider and Employee Assistance Program.
As the health care industry navigates workforce shortages and burnout, it is more important than ever for us to adapt and support our people any way that we can. I’m proud of how far we have come over these past few years, and I look forward to expanding and evolving how we can continue to support and care for our dedicated caregivers.
Karla Eischens, RPh, is the President and CEO of Sanford Health’s Bemidji region located in northern Minnesota. She can be reached at (218) 333-5264 or karla.eischens@sanfordhealth.org.