News & Blog

 

This week, HSQ was featured in two articles from The Greater Good Science Center at the University of California, Berkeley and The Joint Commission.

Dr. Carrie Adair was quoted in Greater Good Science Magazine’s article Can Practicing Gratitude Boost Nurses’ Resilience?, highlighting the importance of gratitude through well-being tools such as writing a gratitude letter or three good things. Adair’s 2019 study with Dr. Bryan Sexton (Duke) and Dr. Lindsay Kennedy (Hendrix College) found that using these tools provided promising interventions in healthcare worker burnout. Read Three Good Tools: Positively reflecting backwards and forwards is associated with robust improvements in well-being across three distinct interventions. To enroll in a tool, visit our Well-being Tools page.

On Wednesday, The Joint Commission highlighted in their blog Dr. Sexton and Dr. Adair’s publication Perceptions of Institutional Support for “Second Victims” Are Associated with Safety Culture and Workforce Well-Being. Their research reminds us that second victim support is an unmet need, but when we offer that support, second victims report an improved well-being.

Here is a listing of national health organizations and their COVID-19 resource pages. Special thanks to our team members at Duke University for compiling this list.

Looking for free well-being resources? See the Resources page for tons of resources ranging from free fitness videos and meditations to public art installations and webinars.

• American Association of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry COVID-19 Resources
• American Psychological Association (APA) COVID-19 Information and Resources
• American Psychiatric Association (APA) COVID-19 Resources
• National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) Sharable Resources on Coping with COVID-19)
• National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI)
• Mental Health America (MHA) Mental Health and COVID-19 Information and Resources
• National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN) Resources for Families and Caregivers
• National Center for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Resources for Managing Stress during COVID-19

We’re sharing a great list of childcare and online learning-related resources compiled by our Duke University team members:

• Durham Public Schools Learning Centers – Expanded, day-long version of DPS before-and-after school programs. Students attending the learning centers will receive high quality child supervision from 7am to 6pm Monday through
• YMCA Scholastic Support Centers – Places where K-8 students can go to participate in their online school or Virtual Academy classes. The program is offered either Monday through Friday 8:30am to 3:30pm, with an extended day option, or as a full-day program from 7:30am to
• YMCA Learning Labs – Online homework sessions for students in grades K-5
• Durham Parks & Recreation School-Aged Care Program – Remote learning support program and after school program for youth ages 5-12 to provide a fun, safe and productive learning experience at various recreation centers throughout the
• Duke List Directory – Supporting Faculty & Staff during COVID-19 – Forum for listing and finding resources related to child care, elder care, pet care,
• NC Department of Health & Human Services Child Care Information for Families, including the Childcare Hotline (888-600-1685), which helps match parents and caregivers with unmet childcare needs to high-quality, safe childcare for infants through children age
• Childcare, Eldercare and Summer Camps – Compiled by the School of Medicine

We’re sharing a great list of resources related to race and mental health that our colleagues at Duke University have put together below. For additional mental health resources, see our Self-Directed Resources page. For additional resources on race, equity, and representation, see this page.

• Black Virtual Therapist Directory
• Selected local (NC Triangle area) mental health providers of color
• Black Men Heal – Limited and selective free mental health service opportunities for Black men.
• Black Mental Health Alliance – Provides information and resources and a “Find a Therapist” locator to connect with a culturally competent mental health professional.
• Black Mental Wellness – Provides access to evidence-based information and resources about mental health and behavioral health topics from a Black perspective, as well as training opportunities for students and professionals.
• Black Women’s Health Imperative – Organization advancing health equity and social justice for Black women through policy, advocacy, education, research and leadership development.
• Boris Lawrence Henson Foundation – BLHF has launched the COVID-19 Free Virtual Therapy Support Campaign to raise money for mental health services provided by licensed clinicians in our network. Individuals with life-changing stressors and anxiety related to the coronavirus will have the cost for up to five (5) individual sessions defrayed on a first come, first serve basis until all funds are committed or exhausted.
• Brother You’re on My Mind – An initiative launched by Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. and NIMHD to raise awareness of the mental health challenges associated with depression and stress that affect Black men and families. Website offers an online toolkit that provides Omega Psi Phi Fraternity chapters with the materials needed to educate fellow fraternity brothers and community members on depression and stress in Black
• Ebony’s Mental Health Resources by State – List of Black-owned and focused mental health resources by state as compiled by Ebony magazine.
• Henry Health – Provides culturally sensitive self-care support and teletherapy for Black men and their families. Currently in pilot program available only to residents of MD, VA and residents of other states can join their waiting list and will be notified when Henry Health is available in their state.
• Melanin and Mental Health – Connects individuals with culturally competent clinicians committed to serving the mental health needs of Black & Latinx/Hispanic communities. Promotes the growth and healing of diverse communities through its website, online directory and events.
• Ourselves Black – Provides information on promoting mental health and developing positive coping mechanisms through a podcast, online magazine and online discussion groups.
• POC Online Classroom – Contains readings on the importance of self care, mental health care, and healing for people of color and within activist movements.
• Sista Afya – Organization that provides mental wellness education, resource connection and community support for Black women.
• Therapy for Black Girls – Online space dedicated to encouraging the mental wellness of Black women and girls. Offers listing of mental health professionals across the country who provide high quality, culturally competent services to Black women and girls, an informational podcast and an online support community.
• The SIWE Project – Non-profit dedicated to promoting mental health awareness throughout the global Black community.
• The Steve Fund – Organization focused on supporting the mental health and emotional well- being of young people of color.
• Unapologetically Us – Online community for Black women to seek support.

The annual Duke Health Quality & Safety Conference may been cancelled this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but we still wanted to recognize all the outstanding  (and award-winning!) posters accepted for the 2020 event. Duke team members (login required) can now view all of the posters in a brand-new virtual poster session, complete with search filters and a welcome message from Dr. Jon Bae.

See the Virtual Poster Session here (Duke Login required)

Recently, volunteers from the Duke Patient and Family Advisory Council (PFAC) Oversight Committee and Patient & Family Engagement Coordinator Shannon Haney helped Duke Primary Care package food for families in need. The group put together 200 packages of food, which were distributed to over 50 families. Thank you to all the PFAC volunteers for their help!

Learn more about the Duke PFACs

See these great stories to learn more about how the Patient and Family Advisory Councils help Duke Health continually improve.

• Assisting with a Duke Primary Care food drive
• Teaching the community about hospice services
• Using their own care journey to improve care for others
• Supporting Grief Awareness Week
• Supporting the well-being of others despite personal challenges
• Celebrating accomplishments together

Learn more about the Patient and Family Advisory Councils

Paige Roberts,  MBA, RN, PCCN, a graduate of and regular guest presenter at the Center’s courses on well-being, wrote an article in American Nurse Today about the resilience tool Three Good Things. Roberts writes:

Intentional tactics to cultivate positive emotions and
thoughts, including Three Good Things, can help us
counteract our natural tendency to focus on the negative
and highlight more of the positive that already
exists around us.

Read the full article here.

In the latest episode of Disrupting Behavior, the Center’s podcast, Dr. Kyle Rehder speaks about Mindful Change and Humble Inquiry. Check it out today!

To many, the word “hospice” has negative connotations, such as giving up. Hospice services are so much more than bedside medical attention. A patient and his/her family get a team of people whose desire is to give quality of life to that patient. It’s not about dying, it’s about living the best life ’til the very end! The caring professionals on every patient’s hospice team provide practical support and help families navigate the difficult decisions they face. The Duke Homecare & Hospice PFAC (Patient Family Advisory Council) decided to address the need to increase awareness of hospice  services and misconceptions of what hospice is.

Last year the Duke Homecare & Hospice PFAC began participating with Development staff in programs describing hospice services at community centers, active-55 communities, and senior living communities. After learning that nationally fully one-third of all hospice patients take advantage of these services for only a week or less and another one-third for less than a month, the PFAC embarked on a mission to help get the word out to area communities.

With the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic, the PFAC had to revamp its in-person format and construct a virtual session using Zoom to accomplish its goal. They did so, and the result is getting rave reviews from participants. In a one-hour session, a panel of three educates the audience about the many services that hospice offers and answers questions. The panel covers the need for care, what the services are, financial considerations, and the roles of the hospice team members that are available to every patient and family. Recent appearances have included senior communities as well as programs through Duke’s OLLI program and the Durham County Library.

If you or your community are interested in scheduling a session, please contact Kellie Brockman at kellie.brockman@duke.edu or call 919.620.3853.