Sarah Teal - Reaction Paper #2 - Option 1

1 - The community which I chose to address is the Prisma Health community in Columbia,
S.C..I am affiliated with Prisma Health as an employee, working alongside other Prisma Health
employees as an Emergency Department (ED) Tech. My employees and I share terminology and
the ways we describe things in our department. We share similar norms, such as where we must
clock in, where we go for “Huddle” pre-shift, and more. We also hold mutual influence, share a
commitment to patients, and share a mutual emotional connection in the experiences we face.
2 - A community health concern in my Prisma Health Employee community is the lack of
attention members of this community direct towards their mental health. Too often do my
coworkers choose work over sleep, physical activity, or hobbies. Too often do my coworkers
overly stress over factors of work.
3 - Health implications of avoiding the care of your mental health include depression, fatigue,
issues with digestion, anxiety, insomnia, lack of concentration, loss of motivation, and more. If
this issue is not combated, long-term effects of poor mental health may cause members to face
heart disease, stroke, or diabetes. Currently, Prisma Health offers employee wellness programs,
discounts on fitness centers, and the employee assistance program (EAP), also referred to as
LifeWorks. Employee wellness programs, offering programs focusing on improving diet,
physical activity, or other aspects contributing to one’s mental health. The discounts on fitness
centers assist in making physical activity more attainable. LifeWorks offers access to
consultations, resources, community support groups, and virtual or in-person counseling
services. I believe that not tending to mental health will ultimately lead to further burnout in
health professionals, which is already a current issue causing a shortage. Resources Prisma
Health offers benefits to employees’ health. However, areas I find they lack support for include
managing sleep stress. I believe that it would be beneficial to offer additional services. In order
to reduce stress, facilities can offer yoga classes pre-shift and post-shift, held in classrooms they
use for trainings. They can offer additional groups for members to get together and enjoy
hobbies, such as ceramics or zumba, hosted and with costs covered. The stigma associated with
using paid time off in order to focus on one’s mental or physical health in general should be
reduced. The emphasis on good physical and mental health could be implemented through
modules of employees' online accounts or by posters, placed in break rooms. Another
implementation which would contribute to combating lack of good mental health due to lack of
sleep includes offering incentives for those who are getting enough and who are tracking the
amount of sleep they are getting.
4 - Feeling a sense of community and belonging is important. More specifically, feeling this in
my professional practice of public health allows me to feel comfortable. Feeling out of place
hinders effective productivity. When I enter a community I am not a part of, it is difficult to share
my opinions which could potentially be useful. In public health, being able to feel trust and a
connection with your coworkers is important. This connection allows more effective work and
communication. It allows coworkers to professionally address and combat important, daunting
public health issues collaboratively.