NNews-Spring-2022

5 [continued on page 6] Spring 2022 enter caring professions lead them to put others’ needs before their own. Over time, this drains their personal resources and can lead to burnout and turnover,” Dr. Spagnolo stated. “Turnover causes disruptions in continuity of care, financial expense for the organizations, and major morale concerns for existing staff, who are stretched very thin, adding to stress at work.” Designing Resources and Learning Sessions toMeet Individuals’ Needs In New Jersey and around the country, there is a shortage of providers, and many orga- nizations have been reporting a record high number of open positions that are difficult to fill. “It is our hope that theW-TLC will help break this negative cycle. We developed theW-TLC so that the behavioral health workforce and workplaces could offer tender loving care— TLC—for healthcare providers who need it most,” Dr. Spagnolo said. “Our newW-TLC will be comprised of well- ness self-care sessions, learning collabora- tives and a virtual toolbox of wellness re- sources to support the healthcare workforce nationally. Our ultimate aim is to enhance healthcare workers’ resilience, reduce burn- out, and lead to better retention and quality of services,” Dr. Spagnolo added. In a survey that Drs. Swarbrick and Spagnolo conducted in March, respondents cited challenges to incorporating self-care into their daily lives: lack of work-life balance, difficulty finding time and physical health and wellness problems. In light of these prevalent needs, it is not surprising that nearly all of the respondents indicated that they are likely or very likely to access the online Virtual Toolbox, which will include videos, podcasts, fact sheets and infographics. These resources were developed based on findings from existing data and focus groups that Rutgers University conducted, and they will be available on theWellness in Recovery section of the CAS website. “Our respondents, like people everywhere, are also struggling to maintain physical activity routines and good restful sleep, especially when faced with global stressors on top of what’s going on for them personally. These responses align with recent research findings that indicate that as the demand for healthcare services becomes overwhelming in scale and signs of burnout reach an all-time high, we need to recognize the pandemic’s latent and lasting implications on healthcare workers in this country,” Dr. Swarbrick said. TheW-TLC will also provide learning collaborative (LC) sessions, which are designed to “empower the workforce to learn and support one another to apply organizational- and individual-level strategies and practices,” Dr. Spagnolo explained. “We wanted to create a place for innovation and collaboration through the LC sessions that will allow people to come and share ideas with one another.” TheW-TLC teamwill host the training and learning collaborative series kickoff in June 2022 and already posted a schedule of sessions on theW-TLC webpage. The staff will also circulate announcements regularly, and NJAMHAA will share these in its tri- weekly Newswire . “Some of the individual wellness and self- care strategies people may find useful are theWellness Inventory, a self-assessment to prompt reflection on current wellness activities; theWellness Planning Tool, to set goals and develop personal wellness action plans; and self-care practices outlined in the Caregiver Guide that fit into small segments of the day. We also link to and build on the Wellness in Recovery resource section of the CAS website, which already includes lots of strategies for each of the eight wellness di- mensions,” Dr. Spagnolo explained. AddressingWellness on the Organizational Level to IncreaseMorale and Retention “We will be offering an array of resources to meet individuals’ needs for wellness and self-care strategies, peer support ap- proaches, and organizational support for work-life balance, as well as organizational strategies that can help the leadership and workforce remember to take breaks during each workday and create a workplace culture where they feel valued and supported,” Dr. Spagnolo stated. “Organizational wellness strategies are designed to create a culture of wellness. These include simple strategies to create and sustain self-care initiatives and opportunities across all employees,” Dr. Swarbrick said and shared the following examples: flexible workload, schedule rotations, stress management training programs, teamwork, transition planning, debriefing sessions and wellness incentives. “The interconnection of individual approaches and organizational approaches creates a culture of wellness where employees are viewed The same qualities that lead people to enter caring professions lead them to put others’ needs before their own. — Peggy Swarbrick, PhD, FAOTA, Associate Director, Center for Alcohol & Substance Use Studies, Rutgers University