Wellness Program

Wellness Committee Charter

Purpose: The wellness committee's primary goal is process improvement: to identify projects within the department of surgery, hospital, and UC Health environment to improve the daily lives of our physicians and staff. Healthcare worker wellness is a well-studied topic. Wellness has proven effects on productivity in the workplace, reduction of medical errors, and physician and patient satisfaction. It is also important in maintaining physician and staff retention. Our aim is to improve wellness at UC Health to help make a better experience for patients and staff.

Secondarily, we will provide emotional support resources and training (i.e., empathy training) to help improve work-life experiences.

Members of the Committee: Individual division representatives from the Department of Surgery at UC Health

Meeting Schedule: The committee will meet quarterly and as needed. The separate divisions will meet on an individually determined basis.

Divisions

• Surgical Crisis Team: The Surgical Crisis Team is a group of identified peer supporters who have been trained to do initial intervention with identified individuals involved in difficult situations at work. This team will be joined with an anesthesia crisis team for a larger impact. They will reach out to involved individuals to see if they need to be referred to further professional counseling or intervention. Individuals include attendings, residents, medical students, nursing or other ancillary staff involved in the events.
• Peer Support Team: The peer support team is a group of providers and physicians who have been specially trained in peer support. They provide a network for peer support to reach out to each member of the surgical department in potential times of need. These supporters are available as a resource for the wellness committee and can bring any identified concerns to the committee.
• Resident Well-Being Team: The resident well-being team consists of attendings and residents, designed to provide support to each residency class and ensure they have an outlet for wellness discussions and resources. The wellness chief resident primarily helps facilitate this group along with the wellness director.

Co-Wellness Directors

Jennifer Berumen, MD
Co-wellness Director in the Department of Surgery

Jessica Weaver, MD, PhD
Co-wellness Director in the Department of Surgery