It takes healthy and resilient VA employees to consistently deliver world class wellness care for Veteran patients.
Chief wellbeing officer for the Orlando VA, Dr. Myriam Garzon, serves as a clinician advocate who provides organizational strategy to improve clinician well-being and assists in mitigating burnout.
Garzon has worked for VA for over a decade and knows how challenging it can be to maintain good health while working in the health care industry. That’s why she is eager to assist clinical staff in finding ways to help reduce and manage their stress through new and innovative resources available to them tvia the employee whole health program.
The new REBOOT program (Reduce Employee Burnout and Optimize Organizational Thriving) was founded through the creation of a task force that identified a need to support clinician well-being across the nation.
Pictured above, Dr. Derek Szafranski, acting associate director, encourages staff to utilize important employee wellness resources to help with reducing burnout and improving resiliency.
Whole health approach enables employees to take charge of their health
Employee whole health is a program that enables and equips employees to take charge of their health and wellbeing and to live their lives to the fullest. Employee whole health coordinators Kelly Jansen and Purvi Gandhi have been offering opportunities for staff to engage in self-care and build resiliency.
They do this with new employee orientation, Whole Health 102 (a four-hour training in self-care), employee whole health coaching, tobacco cessation coaching, employee wellness classes, employee fitness centers, mindful moments throughout the week and many other offerings.
One resource that Garzon recommends to her fellow VA employees is the Mind-Body Skills Group for Employees. This group has been been offered since April 2019 and teaches ways to enhance employees’ long-term resiliency.
“The whole health coaching program for employees has been a game-changer,” says Garzon. “I have seen tremendous transformations once they have created a self-care routine that an employee can stick to even on their busiest days.”
Equipping employees to get through challenging times
In addition to mind body skills groups, the employee whole health program includes a variety of self-care resources like the employee wellbeing centers located at the Orlando and Lake Baldwin VA Medical Centers and at the Viera Outpatient Clinic. In addition, there are additional Employee Wellness Carts located at Kissimmee, Deltona, Clermont and Daytona clinics.
Employees also have access to virtual classes on stress reduction, mindfulness, and other wellness topics, and it offers a variety of resources for topics related to nutrition, exercise and sleep. Whole Health Program Coordinator Ashley Rush explains that the stress reduction workshops are incredibly helpful.
“These workshops go over important techniques that can be utilized to manage stress levels throughout the day and equip employees with the tools needed to help get them through challenging times,” she said.
Employees also have access to the whole health library, which includes videos, podcasts and other resources that are available 24/7.
“As we care and improve our employee’s wellness, we improve care for our Veteran patients which aligns with our HRO principles,” says Garzon.
Topics in this story
More Stories
Bob Jesse Award celebrates the achievements of a VA employee and a team or department that exemplifies innovative practices within VA.
The Medical Foster Home program offers Veterans an alternative to nursing homes.
Watch the Under Secretary for Health and a panel of experts discuss VA Health Connect tele-emergency care.
Ok, I have a huge problem with this. First off the amount of tax dollars spent on this is probably some ridiculous amount that is not even meant for this purpose! Second I’m a veteran in the va system and this is appalling to me! I can’t even get my issues resolved in a timely manner, (appointments, X-rays, dental work, etc. ) and you have “employees” sitting on there asses. I am horrified by how blatant the disrespect and disregard of veterans and there healthcare already! And now this!! Wtf!!
This is the most tone deaf nonsense I have ever seen in the world to think that you are more worried about your well-being as employees who are paid to support veterans than you are about the veterans well-being is why you will all be replaced by essentially Medicaid cards for veterans that just ensure community choice and shut down all of your clinics because you are blatantly wasting money. Every employee there is well compensated for their time in their profession, so to think that experiencing the daily trauma that veterans go through as an outside observer actively hindering them from resolving their issues in many cations would warrant a wellness retention intervention program is laughable. The reason your retention is so bad is because you’re failing in your mission. More veterans that seek help through the VA commit suicide then veterans that don’t which means that your failure in providing hair to these veterans is actively killing them
I want my VA employees healthy and happy.
Shouldn’t I be able to see a PCP once a year or so also?
The best help for the VA employees should be REAL help in the form of more employees or better quality.
This disgust me as a disabled vet that can’t even get disability or even much less medical care I was exposed to some contaminated radiation during a accident of what the USS Nimitz in 2007 to 2008 a year later they found a small spot on my brain while still in service I got out 2 years after that I did a full 5 years 10 years later they removed 2.4 in of my brain coming from that part that while I was diagnosed with in the Navy and they still refuse to treat me or pay me my accident left me paralyzed on my right hand side and I’m just now getting back some of my cognitive it’s only Jesus but this disgust me to see!
I was recently admitted to a local hospital taking in by ambo but when the doctor on the floor I was admitted to learned I was a patient through the VA stated he was going to release me & I am to contact& be seen immediately by a VA facility, as I explained the VA healthcare system doesn’t work that way he said they have to see me immediately & be put back on iv antibiotics & pain medication for an infection running through my body & I need at least one of the stones need to be removed that is causing a blockage & a few other issues but nothing I said he believed as the VA is still to make sure Im taking care of medically immediately not when they choose however I contacted the VA told them my situation & was told I had to wait 2 months for an appointment I said I need to be seen asap again explaining I am to be on iv medication & only released to be seen by the VA where they will pay for my visit she then gave me a closer appointment by one month from the date. I then waited feeling as though I was dying from severe pain & I haven’t been able to use the bathroom to urinate or other causing issues. I went to the appointment explained everything as well as the paperwork I had & the fact they could access it through the system, to leave there in tears as I was not even checked but sent to talk to someone where they state pain can put in depression rather than treat the infection or me at all they said for me to be seen by their urologist it had to be placed in system then an appointment will be made Which normally takes a couple months to get in made a list put in the system for other appointments to be made but considering it had been a month since being off the iv meds something needs to be done now not wait yet again in the pain not only from my kidneys but my bone disease & other issues they had me in a program but somehow without clarifying anything with the pain clinic just took me off to basically want to die how I feel. I don’t understand how knowingly the infection I had that brought me to hospital almost killed me but they just ignored everything on the paperwork that the doctor stated needed to be done immediately a month after I was to be seen to begin with! I hope that the VA gets their act together so less ppl die!
I certainly concur this is crucial for employees and patients alike, and must continue to evolve.