Healthcare Workers Still Receive Inadequate Support. Supportiv Offers A Solution
Burnout, depression, anxiety. How do we serve healthcare workers’ unmet mental health needs? Supportiv offers a solution at scale.
Healthcare workers–not just physicians and nurses, but also hospital staff, therapists and counselors–continue to face untenable mental health burdens, with no extra support through their escalating struggles.
Those working the frontlines of the healthcare industry bore the physical and emotional brunt of the pandemic’s early waves, were in the throes of pandemic burnout 1.0 when “normal” ever-so-briefly seemed to return, and weathered the Delta variant as public support waned and abuses increased. Now, as Covid has become a fixture in daily life, and healthcare institutions hemorrhage staff, health workers around the country are out of the frying pan, stuck in the fire.
Elsevier predicts that 75% of healthcare workers will leave the field by 2025. Without concrete action to address escalating mental health needs, the healthcare worker mass exodus will likely continue–leaving those remaining even worse for the wear.
So, why are current solutions failing to meet healthcare workers’ emotional needs? And how can Supportiv’s anonymous peer-to-peer support, available 24/7/365 on-demand, help turn the tide and support these individuals, at scale?
The “support” of the past is no longer adequate
Self-care and employee perks have clearly not borne results. “Resiliency” initiatives, at this point, feel more like an additional burden. Aside from these extra, ineffective “perks,” even the foundational go-to’s for mental health like therapy fail to reach many healthcare workers. Why is that?
Healthcare workers are overwhelmingly unlikely to seek support for their stress. As the CDC states, “there is a strong and historical stigma related to healthcare workers seeking care for mental health concerns.”
A May 2021 paper in Frontiers In Public Health noted, “healthcare practitioners are likely to suffer in silence due to the perceived stigma associated with experiencing ‘stress’ and ‘mental illness,’ as well as fear of getting their medical license withdrawn. The stigma associated with mental health issues has inward-facing impacts for health professionals’ willingness to seek help or disclose a mental health problem…and increased risk of suicide.”
How *anonymous* peer support overcomes HCWs’ reluctance to seek help
Safeguarding health workers means protecting both their physical and mental well-being, because emotional stress depletes the immune system. Yet, reluctance to seek mental health support abounds–due mainly to systematically ingrained stigma, but also due to the impracticality of scheduling during a crisis.
Early on in the first COVID-19 cycle, Supportiv, the online, anonymous peer-to-peer support network, was among the very first in March 2020 to provide truly on-demand access to mental health resources for health professionals and staff, offering them its round-the-clock, no-wait peer support at no cost.
At that time, Supportiv’s free peer to peer support chats for health workers were featured by NYC Well and other regional organizations, and their immediate high utilization by healthcare workers showed how eager providers were for this type of human connection and compassion from those who truly understood what they were going through–true peers who also had shared lived experience. Opening up about their own emotional pain offered purpose, as it helped others grappling with the same complex feelings. The sessions lifted the participants spirits and re-motivated them.
Given the overwhelming embrace of Supportiv by healthcare workers around the country, Supportiv has continued its efforts to support HCWs, beyond a reactionary approach. In partnership with several healthcare institutions, health plans, and employers, Supportiv has stepped up its “ground game,” ensuring that healthcare workers are aware of the alternative to stigma-riddled tools.
For hospital systems that offer support, Supportiv can work to build familiarity and utilization of its on-demand, peer-to-peer support chats. Successful campaigns combine in-person events with digital outreach to ensure awareness and easy access. These efforts highlight the anonymous nature of the offering and its frictionless access, appealing to HCWs’ busy lifestyle and hesitancy to engage with formal, clinical options.
The emotional consequences for health providers, staff, and entire medical systems will only compound without continued action. We’re taking a proactive stance on getting accessible support to the people who need it most, and believe that in a time when hospital system staff are overworked beyond their limit, sustainability means support.
Attention health workers: Here’s how to get support
Healthcare workers, we see you!
Whether you’re a physician, nurse, tech, assistant, facilities or staff member, EMT, pharmacist or mental health professional, you can only stretch yourself so far. Supportiv, the *anonymous* peer-to-peer support network, would like to help ease your burden with 24/7 emotional support, available digitally from anywhere.
At Supportiv.com, type a few words about your struggle and get matched in under a minute into a live, professionally moderated peer-to-peer chat.
We match you with peers who specifically understand your struggle. Your identity is completely anonymous, and we operate without judgment. Trolls are prevented from sidelining our chats because professionally trained moderators facilitate each chat, live in real-time, with the ability to remove anyone who isn’t there for the right reasons. You’ll get the appreciation and validation you need to continue carrying this burden on behalf of everyone who’s relying on you.
You may understandably be feeling anxious, fearful, angry, frustrated, and fed up. You are human, too, and you’re allowed to feel overwhelmed. In your situation, it’s natural.
Nonetheless, you continue to care for patients, despite your own struggles. You may feel pressured to work because so many of your colleagues have already gotten sick or quit, and your facility is short-staffed. We recognize that you may have to make tough calls on who gets care, equipment, beds, etc. You will be facing families with heart-breaking news. These are moral and emotional burdens that are no fault of your own.
We want you to know:
It is NOT selfish to feel tired of taking care of people.
It is NOT selfish to feel drained by being so relied upon.
It is NOT selfish to want to get your negative emotions off your chest.
When you feel this way, it is our turn to support you.
More than just a safe place to vent and feel heard, Supportiv also provides coping tools and resources to get you through stressful times. You’ll find step-by-step exercises, and other ways to manage your stress so you can maintain your emotional and physical health.
Our entire global peer support team cares about you, and is trained and ready to help you.
You’re everybody else’s support system. Now, more than ever, Supportiv is here to be yours.
