OWB Turns 5

I’m inspired daily by the dedication and professionalism of our employees who work tirelessly to advance our missions of health care, research and education. It’s challenging work that comes with being the state’s only academic medical center.

You often pour yourselves into your work, but that’s hard to do if any of your physical, mental or emotional cups are empty.

That’s why I’m thankful for the support of the Medical Center’s Office of Well-being, which works to help UMMC employees restore and recharge. Celebrating its fifth anniversary, the office has made an impact felt throughout the Medical Center, one employee at a time.

The Office of Well-being was launched in 2018 with Dr. Josh Mann, chair of the Department of Preventive Medicine in the Schools of Medicine and Population Health, at the helm to address the problem of provider burnout.

UMMC’s Office of Well-being is one way to address the complex national health care problems of burnout and care fatigue, especially among physicians and other clinicians. Fostering a stronger sense of well-being in our employees clearly leads to greater resilience, reducing the risk of burnout and exhaustion.

The office has implemented initiatives to aid employees, including the Everyday Wellness program that promotes health awareness and education, provides motivation for positive behavior changes and influences campus practices and policy to support a healthy environment.

I encourage all who work or study at UMMC to take advantage of the monthly activities made available by the office. From mindful eating tips and lunchtime walks to financial literacy and desk yoga, I’m sure you’ll find something to help you destress and refocus. You can check out monthly opportunities on our events calendar here.

Using the Well-Being Index developed by the Mayo Clinic, our Office of Well-being conducted an institution-wide well-being survey in 2019. The Resilience in Stressful Events - RISE, for short - program, with trained peer responders providing support to UMMC colleagues, was introduced the same year.

Then COVID-19 occurred.

To help our care team deal with pandemic-related stress, the Office of Well-being staff provided on-demand support to clinicians and clinical units. Storytelling through online 55-word stories and story slams helped workers articulate their experiences to cope. 3rd Conversation events provide a venue for clinicians, patients and administrators to discuss what matters most to them in health care.

The Office of Well-being has been among those at the forefront in developing and implementing plans to prevent and respond to workplace violence, especially in the health care setting. This work was motivated initially by concerns raised by employees and managers, and by leaders in clinical Risk Management. More recently, The Joint Commission has instituted requirements related to workplace violence that all accredited health care institutions must meet, so the groundwork already in place at UMMC has enabled us to address those requirements much more quickly.

A three-year, $3 million Health Resources and Services Administration grant was awarded to the Office of Well-being in 2021 to boost online and in-person training in resilience and well-being and to expand services offered by the RISE program. The funding has also provided access to an online interactive screening program allowing employees to complete an anonymous mental health screening and receive feedback from a licensed mental health professional.

Other key components of the grant-funded work include training in Robust Process Improvement and funding to assist in process improvement activities that will help reduce employee stress and foster a sense of accomplishment and purpose in work, and the institution-wide well-being survey that was carried out this spring.

The Medical Center has been recognized for its well-being efforts, having received multiple Healthy Workplace awards from the Mississippi Business Group on Health and, in 2022, receiving Bronze recognition through the American Medical Association’s Joy in Medicine program. This year, Sondra Redmont, administrator in the Office of Well-being, was the first-ever recipient of UMMC’s Friend of Nurses award.

The office welcomes feedback and suggestions on program offerings. UMMC employees and students can contact the office at officeofwellbeing@umc.edu or everydaywellness@umc.edu.

Caring for our employees improves their mental and physical health and increases employee retention at UMMC. Helping you stay healthy is essential for our journey toward A Healthier Mississippi.