Care of Self and Others

At Henry Ford Hospital (HFH) we understand the importance of mental health. We must care for ourselves before we can effectively care for our patients. HFH Nursing leadership works diligently to ensure all nurses have the resources they need to maintain their well-being.

Caring for ourselves so we can care for others

As healthcare professionals, it is easy to focus all attention on caring for others. There are plenty of studies showing nurses are at a higher risk for experiencing mental health issues such as burnout, depression, anxiety and more.

The Henry Ford Hospital (HFH) Nursing Department realizes how important mental health is and has begun to focus on implementing more resources to ensure nurses are supported. Several initiatives were put into place, including a Nurse Well-being Index, peer processing groups and promotion of the Henry Ford Health System (HFHS) Employee Assistance Program (EAP).

In August 2020, the Nurse Well-being Index was launched at HFH. The index is a brief online self-assessment tool that provides nurses with immediate individualized feedback, including tools and resources to address their well-being. The tool allows surveys to be sent to nurses throughout the year so that they can monitor their personal well-being as well as allowing the Nursing Department to track overall well-being.

“The personal insight is valuable in recognizing areas of our life that need help and making necessary changes as well as helping our department track our nurses’ well-being so we can create solutions that could help them,” said Behavioral Health Services Clinical Nurse Specialist Noel Koller-Ditto, DNP, RN, AGCNS-BC.

In addition to the well-being index, peer processing groups were implemented across the hospital. These groups met to openly discuss their experiences during the pandemic, provide peer to peer support, learn coping strategies and address responses to trauma.

Each group is led by a psychologist or social worker and facilitated by a clinical lead (e.g., nurse manager, physician, clinical nurse specialist, etc.). In total these groups have impacted over 800 team members with feedback being overwhelmingly positive.

Many participants in the groups were then connected with the HFHS EAP. This program is always available to Henry Ford team members to help them cope with various work and life events. Although in person meetings were put on pause, the EAP was still available virtually to further assist with coping and recovery.

The HFH Nursing Department continues to keep mental health assistance, education and resources a priority to ensure there is constant support for all nurses’ well-being.

Next Section: Outstanding Achievements >>