Suicide takes a disproportionate toll on health care workers during normal times and deserves more attention in the ramped-up environment of the ongoing pandemic, speaker Lauren Walton, MD told HASC Hospital Operations Committee members this week.

Dr. Lauren M. Walton is chief of service for the department of addiction medicine at Kaiser Permanente Downey Medical Center. 

The good news is that any workplace can implement measures proven to address the issue — and safeguard employees’ lives.

“Suicide is preventable,” Walton told two dozen attendees on Wednesday. “Depression is treatable. Therapy works. If there’s one thing I want to communicate today that’s it.”

The biggest bar to preventing suicide and treating depression, substance use disorders and related issues is the reluctance to seek help that often permeates our society and workplaces, Walton underlined. 

An example of a program aimed at this barrier is Kaiser Downey’s “buddy system.” The program assigns each employee a partner — someone who just asks how the other is doing each week.

Attendee Bonnie Panlasigui, COO at St. Mary Medical Center in Long Beach, shared another program aimed at emotional health. Earlier this year, CEO Carolyn Caldwell created a “relaxation room” with recliners and soothing music to help employees de-stress on breaks.

Recognizing that fatigue is rising in the current environment, HASC created a Care for the Caregivers Resources page that shares several dozen links designed to support workers and their emotional health. It’s a useful starting point for launching programs and support systems.

Also at Wednesday’s meeting, Collective Medical’s Suneel Ratan shared how the HASC Endorsed Business Partner can help facilities track and identify high ED utilizers.  

The next HASC Hospital Operations Committee meeting is now being scheduled for an autumn date.

With questions, please contact HASC Member Relations and Association Services Director Darryl Sanford.

Contact:
Darryl Sanford
(213) 538-0772
dsanford@hasc.org