Healthy Kids Healthy Futures: How Valley Children's supports employee wellness
The hospital re-launched its "All For You" program, which provides support to those who reach out following a difficult incident.
FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- Healthcare workers clock in long hours every week because there's a passion to help the Valley's future generation - physically and mentally.
"Our patients, when they walk through that door, they mean something to our staff. They share their technical expertise, but they're also sharing their heart, their compassion," explained Kelly Beall, Valley Children's Healthcare Senior VP & Chief People Officer. "They get emotionally invested in the patients that they're caring for."
In order to help their patients stay healthy, officials believe VCH staff need to provide the same compassion and care to themselves -- especially because they deal with traumatic events almost every day.
"It's trauma in all areas," said Dr. Karen Dahl, Vice-President of Medical Affairs, Physician Wellness & Development. "Primary care -- you have a long-term patient and they die of an illness, all those things impact the physician. Child abuse, in particular, can be pretty traumatic for our entire team here."
The hospital just re-launched its "All For You" program, which provides support to those who reach out following a difficult incident.
"It's important that they have that opportunity to express how they're feeling to explore and process their response to these situations in the moment so that they don't hold on to them," Beall said.
In addition, staff have free access to wellness experiences -- such as reiki, which is a Japanese form of energy healing, which promotes emotional and physical well-being.
"We're expected as physicians to be perfect," Dr. Dahl shared." But I think over time, it's really changed. The culture has changed, our expectations have changed and our support programs have become more apparent and more utilized."
Hospital leaders also believe appreciation goes a long way when it comes to improving staff's mental health.
For National Nurses Week, officials went around the hospital with the Big Heart Cart passing out treats to everyone.
Valley Children's officials said they remain committed to finding new ways to support staff, as their needs change over time.
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