MONROE — In a time when mental, emotional and physical well-being are at the forefront of our intentions, a new resource is available to give staff opportunities to de-stress at SSM Health Monroe Hospital and Monroe Clinic Medical Group.
The lavender cart, having received its name from the healing and relaxation that the color is associated with, promotes well-being by encouraging staff to take a ‘time-out’ from a stressful day and provide care for themselves. The mobile unit is a beautifully revitalized dresser on wheels that can be easily taken to individual departments. It was customized during refinishing to allow for ample space for self-care items such as massagers, aroma therapy, relaxing sound therapy machine, comfort foods and beverages, coloring pages, chocolate therapy, relaxation activities and more. A binder filled with reflections, prayers, meditations and debriefing outlines are also resources found on the lavender cart.
There is not a limit for how long the lavender cart can be reserved for. This gives departments the option to keep it overnight to assume pm shift workers get to enjoy the cart as well.
The cart has successfully benefited a few departments already. Recently, SSM Health Monroe Clinic Medical Group’s Phlebotomy Team checked out the lavender cart.
“The team really enjoyed the lavender cart, from the oils to the uplifting and thoughtful quotes,” shared Paige Heinke, Phlebotomy Manager. “In fact, one team member is still carrying one of the messages in her badge holder, it is so meaningful to her.”
The concept of added initiatives for treating staff came from an Accelerated Improvement Workshop run by Chelsea Hardacre, SSM Health Monroe Vice President of Patient Care. A small committee began to formulate a plan to positively impact employee well-being items at SSM Health Monroe and a proposal to establish a lavender cart was submitted.
Around the same time, an anonymous employee donation of $3,000 to the Monroe Clinic & Hospital Foundation was received with the purpose of providing well-being efforts to staff. The connection of the donation to the lavender cart proposal was made and pieces began falling in place to make it a reality.
To make the lavender cart accessible to all SSM Health Monroe employees, lavender cart items are available to put in baskets for branches by following a similar checkout process as the full cart. Also, new in the coming weeks will be ‘lavender bags’ that can be ordered for remote staff. These bags will include something sweet and salty to eat, chocolate therapy, a blessing card, aromatherapy and a resource guide with stretching exercises, sound therapy links, employee resource information, humor, prayer and suggested moments of reflection.
“This cart is merely a small token of our greater appreciation of all that they do. We need to care for the caregivers and remind them to care for themselves as well. Truly what they are doing is living our Mission and carrying on the great work our sisters began and entrusted us to do,” described Linda O’Leary, SSM Health Monroe Hospital Spiritual Care Manager and Mission Action Team Member.
