Med staff committee members, including Dr. Robert McGregor, Akron Children’s chief medical officer (2nd from right), present a check to the Akron Physician Wellness Initiative in honor of Doctor’s Day, March 30.
Providers need care and support, too. While looked upon as heroes to many families, providers are human, too.
In today’s fast-paced workplace, providers are faced with unique challenges and stressors that are contributing to burnout, despite a devotion to the practice of medicine and the health of their patients. Issues such as less time with patients, staffing shortages and added administrative burdens due to regulatory requirements are making it difficult for providers to maintain a healthy work/life balance.
So, in honor of Doctor’s Day on March 30, Akron Children’s medical staff executive committee is hoping to make a difference by donating $16,000 to the Akron Physician Wellness Initiative (APWI), an Akron-based mental health counseling service built for and around providers.
“We chose to once again make a charitable donation to something that would make an impact on our staff; something that is more meaningful than a logoed hat or T-shirt,” said Robert McGregor, MD, Akron Children’s chief medical officer and co-creator of APWI. “Everyone either knows someone who has used APWI or is currently using it.”
What is the Akron Physician Wellness Initiative?
Through a joint partnership, Akron Children’s and Summa Health launched APWI in 2021 to eliminate barriers to and provide mental health services to residents, fellows, advanced practice providers and physicians practicing at the hospitals. The 501 (c) (3) organization’s services are designed specifically around the unique challenges and needs of providers to enhance their well-being.
“APWI is here to care for providers, so they can care for others,” said Dr. McGregor. “There is very good evidence that providers who are struggling with their own health, whether physically or mentally, make more errors, leading to quality implications and safety indications, and the joy of work is not present.”
APWI offers private individual counseling for both personal and professional needs, psychological assessments, psychiatric consultation and medication management, in addition to wellness promotion and educational workshops for hospital departments.
APWI can help providers struggling with issues, such as adjustment difficulty, anxiety, boundary setting, burnout, career decision making, coping skills, financial strain, managing difficult patients and workplace stress, in addition to personal concerns including family or relationship conflict, parenting or health concerns.
There is no charge for services and no electronic footprint (records are kept in a paper file). All services are private, confidential and discrete, and are offered in-person or virtually. Akron Children’s offers all active members of our medical staff, and employed residents and fellows 12 visits in a calendar year. If a provider needs more, they are referred to Summa Health’s Behavioral Health program.
“APWI built its services to overcome traditional barriers that prevent providers from seeking care, such as cost, inconvenience, stigma, paper trails and how care might affect licensure,” said Dr. McGregor. “It gives APWI a unique niche and level of comfort for our people.”
How APWI is making a difference
In just three years, APWI has expanded its team from one full-time psychologist and 0.2 FTE adult psychiatrist to two full-time psychologists and 0.5 FTE adult psychiatrist.
“As a nonprofit, donations help APWI continue to provide barrier-free mental health services for physicians and APPs,” said Dr. McGregor. “Specifically, the med staff donation will enable us to expand services and support the salary of a third psychologist we hope to hire this summer.”
To date, 409 providers have completed intake with 227 providers in active treatment at APWI. The service is predominantly used by residents, with 37 different specialties represented.
In a recent Utilization and Quality Statistics survey conducted by APWI, Dr. McGregor points to a startling statistic: 46% of respondents stated without the APWI counseling service, they would not have sought treatment.
“The hope is to have a healthy workforce on the front end that is more open to the fact that wellness is holistic. It’s about helping providers to better manage their multiple demands, while maintaining a sense of joy, whether at work or home,” he said. “Our goal is to offer providers a safe space to talk with people who understand where they’re coming from, provide escalating services, if necessary, and get them back to a healthy state to better care for their patients — and themselves.”
Learn more about the Akron Physician Wellness Initiative. You can schedule an initial consultation or request wellness programming by calling or texting 330-217-6331.
