It's OK to not be OK

Below is my monthly message for the August 2020 edition of the MHRI newsletter, Focus. You can view Focus online at MedStarResearch.org/FOCUS.

Dear Friends and Colleagues – 

 “It's OK to not be OK.”

 That is a quote by Michael Phelps, arguably the most successful Olympic athlete in the world (with 39 world records), from his documentary released this week, The Weight of Gold. In this moving story of the mental agony so many famous athletes endure, he shares a very personal perspective of his anguish. “I don’t think anyone jumped in to ask us if we were OK. As long as we were performing, I don’t think anything else really mattered.” The brave athletes featured are names we all know so well for their tenacity and their ability to overcome unfathomable odds. However, all were also fighting a silent battle with themselves which was stronger than anything they trained for in seeking Olympic gold.

 I have the privilege of writing this month’s column with my good friend and colleague, Dr. Dan Marchalik, the Medical Director of Physician Well-being and Chair of the Frontline Associate Wellness Committee.

 Though we may not have the weight of Olympic gold, we all share the weight of being on the front lines of a pandemic, while also navigating a financial crisis and the harsh realities of systemic racial injustice. Folded into this is constant change and unknowns, compounded by the knowledge that these unknowns will likely persist for the foreseeable future. It is impossible to be ‘ok’ under these circumstances, even if we have the mental fortitude of an Olympic athlete. And in these difficult moments, it must be ok to admit that we are not always ‘ok’.

 The recent events have clearly placed a tremendous burden on every single provider and associate at MedStar Health. Like elite athletes, most people expect all of us in healthcare to be composed and unshakeable. We are the people that others look to for help and support when they are in trouble. This is the weight of our gold—the standard to which we are all held and that makes it so difficult to admit when we are struggling ourselves.

 We are so proud that MedStar Health was an early advocate for associate wellness and has invested in so many resources to support our teams. Given the number of stressors, we have built our resources to respond. Found on Starport and medstarhealth.org/wellbeing, the resources are cataloged in four sections: 1) Wellness With Peers, 2) Wellness for You, 3) Wellness at Work, and 4) Wellness at Home. Although there are many important initiatives that can be found on the website (such as hotel accommodations, food and grocery delivery, and access to MedStar’s meditation series), today we highlight the resources designed to support your mental well-being when you need it most.

 The initiatives below were launched to help break down the barriers to finding the support you need.
  • Our Care for the Caregiver Peer-to-Peer Support network is available by email at c4c@medstar.net or through our 24/7 hotline (866-MSH-WELL).
  • Virtual Support groups can be set up for individual or entire units/departments
  • Expedited mental health appointments for MSH associates are available within 1 business day by calling 202-944-5400 (option 2).
  • Through our partnership with BHS, our Employee Assistance Program has been greatly expanded and includes a variety of resources such as career coaching, coping strategies, and mental health support for you and your family members.
Please know that these resources are here for you anytime you need them, and don’t forget that to support ourselves and each other, we have to break down the culture in health care of never asking for help for ourselves. We are all human. Sometimes “it’s OK to not be OK.” And sometimes it’s important to put your needs first: ‘always put the oxygen on yourself before helping others with their mask’.

 While we usually view research, teaching, and innovation as the prime drivers of advancing health, our own well-being is what’s truly at the core of advancing health. By staying well ourselves, we make it possible to advance the health of our community. So please, stay healthy and stay well!

 Neil & Dan

Read Focus online at MedStarResearch.org/FOCUS.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

"Betsey, Lucy, and Anarcha: Recognition and Remembrance" with MHRI

Image
On Monday, in collaboration with MedStar Washington Hospital Center Women and Infants' Services OBGYN Department, MHRI Senior Leadership, D.C. Safe Babies Safe Moms, and MedStar Research AIDE, we hosted a virtual gathering "Betsey, Lucy, and Anarcha: Recognition and Remembrance" to honor and remember the lives of enslaved women that suffered in the name of science and medical discovery. We chose this day as the overlap of Black History Month and Women's History Month. After opening remarks from several MedStar Health leaders, w e viewed two educational videos together: The Disturbing History of American Medicine | Racist American History and The US Medical System is Still Haunted by Slavery . The videos discussed Dr. J.Marion Sims,and the  experimental surgeries he performed on enslaved women, including Betsey, Lucy, Anarcha and others. Sims performed 30 surgeries on Anarcha alone, without anesthesia or other pain management practices typically offered to white patie
Read more

World Medical Innovation Forum 2018

Image
Medical knowledge is increasing at an exponential rate, so as of 2018, it is doubling every 73 days! I find that hard to believe but certainly agree that it is humanly impossible to stay current on all aspects of healthcare just by reading more or attending more conference. We must use team science and interdisciplinary models of care. We also must embrace technology solutions. Therein lays the power of artificial intelligence in healthcare. This will undoubtedly transform how we practice medicine tomorrow.   I write this blog post from the World Medical Innovation Forum in Boston, dedicated to the topic of artificial intelligence (AI) applications in healthcare. Over 1600 professionals from very diverse backgrounds (engineers and industry to startups and clinicians) came together to discuss how to use AI to make healthcare better, safer, and more efficient. Some estimate that AI combined with big data will reduce total healthcare spending by $450 billion annually! There
Read more

MedStar Health's Upcoming Advertising Campaign!

Image
It's a great time to feel proud to be a part of the MedStar system!  I'm very excited to share with you MedStar Health’s multimedia advertising campaign that will launch Monday, December 15 in the Washington, DC and Baltimore regions.  The campaign, which will run through mid-February, features 30-second TV commercials, print and digital advertising, as well as social media.  The goals of the campaign are to: 1)     Enhance MedStar Health’s reputation as the trusted leader in caring for people and advancing health 2)     Continue building MedStar Health’s brand awareness and, ultimately, consumer preference. 3)     Spotlight key service lines in the Washington, DC region. 4)     Promote MedStar Health as an integrated healthcare delivery system by highlighting our strengths: our people, comprehensive services, expertise, innovation and technology. The underlying theme of the TV ads is “In One Day …” The ads demonstrate that the work we do is inspiri
Read more