July 8, 2022

The health and well-being of our caregivers (employees) is a top priority for us, particularly after the tumultuous years we’ve all experienced because of the pandemic. At Providence, we have a caregiver well-being program that strives to create a positive work culture and support caregivers in their daily lives, with a focus on mind, body, spirit, and financial health.

We recently spoke with Providence Director of Caregiver Well-being Maracie Wilson, about some of the benefits Providence provides caregivers, why caregiver well-being is so critical right now and what trends she’s seeing with regards to caregiver well-being in general.

What are some of the benefits that Providence offers to support caregiver well-being?

Our well-being benefit offers our workforce programs and resources to address all stages of the well-being journey as we strive to become the best version of ourselves. We offer mental wellness coaching and therapy (virtual, in-person and onsite) and self-guided mental health resources; resources for fitness and daily tools; disease prevention and management, nicotine cessation, peer support and social community, tele-spiritual health, financial wellness, tuition assistance, family supports such as emergency back-up care, retail discounts and valuable incentives to reward overall program engagement. We also offer specialized benefits such as Suicide Prevention Training.

How are Providence caregiver well-being benefits unique?

Our well-being benefits are very comprehensive and aim to support caregivers across a wide continuum of life stages and situations. As an organization we are committed to Our Promise to our caregivers: Know Me, Care for Me, and Ease My Way. This guides us as we design resources and programs to meet the unique needs of our workforce as they care for our communities. We are leading the way with our mental wellness programs. The past few years have helped us face how important mental health is to our overall well-being. Our benefits now offer up to 25 free therapy sessions per year for all our caregivers and their family and household members. We know that this benefit is only valuable if care is accessible, so ensuring access to high-quality providers with quick availability is our top priority. Care is offered across a variety of settings, from virtual to onsite, to ease the way for our workforce.

Why are caregiver well-being benefits so critical right now?

The past couple years have been a once-in-a-century challenge for our caregivers as they have answered the call to care for our communities suffering through the COVID-19 pandemic. They have given their heart and soul to serve our patients and colleagues day in and day out. Resilience and optimized personal health have never been more important as we recover from this effort and recalibrate our own well-being. Our well-being resources and programs are ready to meet each person where they are in their journey.

What are some trends you’re seeing in the area of caregiver well-being, either at Providence or in general? 

We are seeing a very promising trend in the increasing comfort level of our workforce with seeking help and having open conversations around mental health. As an industry, healthcare employees have historically been reticent to openly acknowledge personal issues with mental health due to its associated stigma. As the conversation around mental health has become more common, our caregivers and leaders are increasingly comfortable sharing how important this issue is for everyone—patients and caregivers alike! We have been taking this opportunity to remove stigma from the mental health conversation. Mental health is just as important and critical to well-being as physical health. I am so proud to see Providence leading the way in this very important area.

Are there any wins you can share with regards to the success of the caregiver wellbeing program at Providence so far?

One of the key indicators that a broad well-being program is valued and helpful is the engagement level that it achieves. Our program and its resources have very high levels of utilization. Well over 80 percent of our caregivers are engaged and the majority are using it as a daily resource for managing their well-being journey.

Learn about the whole suite of Providence caregiver well-being benefits at Choose Well.