Public Health Workforce Resilience Resource Library
In July of 2021, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released results of a survey of more than 26,000 state, tribal, local, and territorial public health workers. That survey found that 53% of respondents reported symptoms of at least one mental health condition in the past two weeks, including depression (32%), anxiety (30%), PTSD (36%), or suicidal ideation (8%).
In May of 2022, U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy issued a Surgeon General’s Advisory highlighting the urgent need to address the health worker burnout crisis across the country.
NACCHO appreciates the efforts of the public health workforce and is here to support your health and wellbeing. As such, we are providing the following resources to help public health workers build resilience.
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) Disaster Technical Assistance Center (DTAC) has developed a number of resources to help outreach workers and other disaster behavioral health professionals cope with stress and compassion fatigue associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. These resources are available in English and Spanish. Available resources include:
- Flyer: Are You Working to Help People Affected by the COVID-19 Pandemic? (English | Spanish)
- Wallet card: Tips for Managing Stress During the COVID-19 Pandemic (English | Spanish)
- Tips for Healthcare Professionals: Coping with Stress and Compassion Fatigue (English | Spanish)
- Tips for Survivors of a Pandemic: Managing Stress (English | Spanish)
- Tips for Survivors of a Disaster or Other Traumatic Event: Coping with Retraumatization (English | Spanish)
| Resource Name | Resource Link and Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
| “Upstream Approaches” to Build Resiliency: Organizational and Leadership Strategies | Video recording of a NACCHO Webinar on Zoom | Video length: 1 hour Description: This webinar explores workforce stressors and how organizations have been impacted by anxiety, brain fog, and burnout in workforce environments. Participants explore evidence-informed strategies and resources for organizations, teams, and leadership to build resilience in the workplace and explore communication strategies and methods to build team cohesion and healthy workplace culture. Additional Resources: PowerPoint slides with resource links |
| Finding HOPE through Crisis: Managing Stress and Supporting Optimism | Video recording of a Preparedness Summit session on YouTube | Video length: 1.5 hours Description: This session introduces HOPE, redefined as Honesty, Optimism, Professionalism, and Empathy. Each of these concepts can be applied and leveraged to help public health, healthcare, and emergency professionals navigate through sustained operational stress and stay resilient. Participants will learn strategies to harness stress in moments for performance, learn approaches to cultivate optimistic thinking and gratitude, and foster stronger connections with others to support general well-being as well as holistic performance. Additional Resources: Gratitude Calendar, Five Ways to Power Your Performance with Optimism |
| Organizational Resilience and Making Meaning: During COVID-19 and Beyond | Video recording of a workshop on YouTube | Video length: 1.5 hours Description: This virtual yet interactive workshop will examine current impacts of stressors within organizations and provide participants with concrete leadership and organizational activities and evidence-informed strategies that promote well-being and enhance workforce performance. Stressors explored through an organization approach will include burnout, compassion fatigue and complex grief. Participants will be provided tools and resources to reflect on their experiences, meet the current challenges, and make meaning as we move forward. |
| How Long Has Your “Check Engine” Light Been On? Enhancing Your Understanding of Yourself and Stress During COVID-19 | HHS ASPR webinar on YouTube | Video length: 1.5 hours Description: Understanding our own early warning signs of emotional trouble (like the check engine light in your car), our personal responses to adversity and the current state of our overall wellbeing are essential components of being able to help others cope and heal. However, compounded stressors related to the pandemic such as social distancing, facility surges, and limited resources have created challenges for recognizing these early signs of stress and have led to an increase in complex behavioral health risks, including compassion fatigue, caution fatigue, moral injury and complex grief. This virtual yet interactive workshop will examine current impacts of stressors and stress as influenced by the COVID-19 environment. The workshop will provide participants the opportunity for self-assessment and activities to encourage consideration of individual mitigation techniques that promote well-being and enhance professional performance. Participants will also be given a tool to help them anticipate and plan for how to address stress threats going forward to better prepare them to meet the challenges that lie ahead. |
| Promoting Resilience & Recovery from the Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic | HHS ASPR webinar on GoToWebinar | Video length: 1.5 hours Description: This presentation is designed for social work professionals to strengthen their professional skill sets specifically to promote recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. Experts in disaster human services, public health crisis response, and disaster behavioral health will share evidence-informed interventions for social workers to promote their own resilience, the resilience of individual clients, and the resilience of organizations and communities affected by disasters and public health emergencies. The presentation is relevant for social workers in behavioral health treatment, healthcare, schools, social services, and vulnerable population protective services, and emphasizes practical knowledge to empower social workers to be part of their community’s recovery. |
NACCHO will be adding additional resources to this page as they become available. Please check back or subscribe to the Preparedness Brief for updates via email.
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NACCHO, with support from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC),...
Jun 07, 2022 | Victoria Thompson, Katherine Waters
