Dallas County’s safety net hospital will have access to unique resources to improve health care workers’ “well-being” as part of a national initiative.
Parkland Health was one of 26 organizations selected for the National Academy of Medicine, or NAM, program — joined by only one other Texas organization. The Change Maker Accelerators program is designed to help health organizations implement efforts to address provider burnout.
“There’s fatigue. There’s trauma. There are the work factors of what it takes to be an individual in health care,” said Dr. Jennifer Wimberly, medical director of clinical ethics and resiliency at Parkland. “We take care of such wonderfully complex and vulnerable individuals within our community that it comes with this commitment and this devotion.”
There are several factors that contribute to provider burnout in the health industry, like stress, fatigue, trauma and even provider shortages, which increased during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Parkland Health has already invested in well-being efforts, but Wimberly said the Change Maker Accelerators program is intended to maintain a fulfilled and healthy workforce so Parkland can provide “safe, high-quality care.”
“This just keeps telling us we’re on the right track and we’re doing the right thing,” she said. “Our patients are the heart and soul of Parkland and we want to take care of everyone that takes care of them.”
NAM announced the second cohort this week, which included both Parkland and UT Southwestern.
“The Change Maker Accelerators model offers something truly unique in the health care well-being space: dedicated, personalized coaching that helps organizations turn commitment into action,” NAM President Dr. Victor Dzau said in a statement. “With each cohort, we are building a growing body of evidence that will create a roadmap for sustainable well-being strategies across the entire health care sector.”
As part of the program, Parkland Health also agreed to track its implementation of NAM’s National Plan for Health Workforce Well-Being. The plan is focused on several priority areas that help inform how organizations address the issue, like reducing mental health stigma, addressing barriers to daily work and retaining a diverse and inclusive workforce.
Wimberly said the national plan offers a shared framework with a common language to make these types of efforts more standardized and accessible. She said the program is an opportunity to invest in Parkland’s workforce and show it’s able to participate with other organizations on the national level.
“We have to remember that our purpose – we are a safety net hospital, and here we are on a national stage,” she said. “It puts us on a national stage where we can participate in these conversations with organizations that are coming to this with similar concerns of health care workforce wellbeing, but a lot of different perspectives.”
Wimberly said the North Texas community gets to benefit from this program while it’s still new, and Parkland gets to learn and benefit from the first cohort’s experience.
“This is just the beginning of us being part of the conversation and being part of these efforts, to be the change makers and continue to accelerate the movement,” Wimberly said.
Abigail Ruhman is KERA’s health reporter. Got a tip? Email Abigail at aruhman@kera.org.
KERA News is made possible through the generosity of our members. If you find this reporting valuable, consider making a tax-deductible gift today. Thank you.