Resources to Support Your Whole Self

Samaritan is committed to supporting you and your family.

We hope the resources below will help you more effectively manage the stress, anxiety, complex emotions and changes we are facing together. The PRIDE that you are demonstrating during this rapidly evolving landscape is incredible, and we sincerely thank you for your efforts as we work together to care for each other and our communities.

Please continue to visit this page, as additional resources continue to be added.

Work is one of the most vital parts of life, powerfully impacting health and well-being. Samaritan Health Services strives to be a workplace that supports well-being, showing employees that they and their work matters. This is why the Well-being Council was established. The council includes members from a wide range of departments and areas of expertise.

This strategic plan was developed to guide the council’s work. Goals outlined in the plan are designed to reflect Samaritan’s values by including worker voice and equity. The Well-being Council reviewed organizational data to assess gaps and integrated the Wellness Council of America’s evidence-based framework into this plan, following the benchmarks:

  • Committing and aligning leadership. 
  • Collaborating to support well-being.
  • Collecting meaningful data to evolve a well-being strategy. 
  • Crafting an operating plan. 
  • Choosing initiatives that support the whole employee. 
  • Cultivating supportive, health-promoting environments, policies and practices. 
  • Evaluating, communicating, celebrating and evolving.

Health care professionals faced immense challenges and demands before the pandemic that have been magnified in recent years. This plan attempts both to support our workforce members as individuals and address systemic concerns to create a culture of health and well-being. With input from our people and support of leadership, the council looks forward to advancing well-being at Samaritan. 

To contact the Well-being Council, email SHSWellBeingCouncil@samhealth.org.

See the Well-being Strategic Plan.

See the Well-being Council Charter.

Why Take a Live Mindfulness Course?

Mindfulness teaches you the skills to remain present, calm, and effective under ongoing stress. Thirty years of research demonstrates regular mindfulness practice reduces medical errors, compassion fatigue, burnout, anxiety, depression, and pain.  Mindfulness increases empathy, compassion, communication, memory, sleep, and more.  You will learn practical mindfulness skills to enhance your personal and professional wellbeing.  Working with a skilled mindfulness teacher can assist you in establishing mindfulness skills in a way that’s not possible to do with an app or online recorded guidance.

Who Is the Instructor?

Mindfulness courses at Samaritan are taught by Kari Hart, MSW, LCSW. Kari has been training in mindfulness practices for more than 20 years. She began teaching mindfulness meditation in 2007, using mindfulness clinically with patients in 2011, and teaching mindfulness for clinician and employee well-being in 2018.  Ms. Hart is a Certified Teacher of MBSR through the UCSD Mindfulness-Based Professional Training Institute (MBPTI). 

What Courses Are Available?

  • Introduction to Mindfulness
    In this live, online, 2-hour course, you will be introduced to practice mindfulness skills to enhance your personal and professional well-being.  This course is appropriate for both total beginners and those looking to refresh or restart their mindfulness practice.  
  • Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) 
    This 9-week course offers an opportunity to fully establish a mindfulness practice in your life, with a particular emphasis on utilizing mindfulness to respond more effectively to stress.  The research on this course in particular demonstrates lasting benefits for the brain, body, emotions, and relationships to work and stress. Participants commit to 9 weeks of 2.5 hours sessions, plus a day-long retreat, in addition to daily mindfulness practice.  
    MBSR is be offered in an interactive, live, on-line format.

Who Can Participate?

All Samaritan staff are invited to attend.
For clinicians, participation in MBSR is sponsored by the Samaritan Well-Being Council and Samaritan Medical Group. To support clinician participation in this program, clinical schedules may be adjusted.  Productivity credit (as applicable) will be provided for time spent in this program if during clinician’s normal clinical time.

When Are the Courses Offered?

MBSR is offered twice a year, in the fall and the spring.  Introduction to Mindfulness is offered on rotating basis throughout the year. 

How Do I Register?

To register, please log in to Performance Manager, click “View Learning Opportunities” and search for the desired class.  Under “Enroll in Class” click on the green plus sign icon.

All benefitted Samaritan employees have free access to Headspace. The guided mindfulness meditations and exercises can support better sleep, ease stress, and increase presence, calm, and compassion. JoinNow using your SHS email.

Guided Stress-Reduction Sessions

Offered Tuesday & Thursday for 15 minutes

  • Tuesday –  Start Fresh: 15 minutes of Guided Relaxation & Stretching, 7:45 to 8 a.m.
    Join the meeting on your computer or mobile app.
    Or call in (audio only) +1 971-254-1254,  562630765#

  • Thursday – Mid-Day Reset: 15 minutes of Guided Mindfulness, 12:30 to 12:45 p.m.
    Join the meeting on your computer or mobile app.
    Or call in (audio only) +1 971-254-1254,  802797125#

Explore tools and resources to support your own wellbeing and foster a culture of wellbeing within your team. Download: Practical Resources for Impractical Times.

Samaritan pays for the Calapooia Employee Assistance program for you and your dependents. This is a free and confidential service that includes up to four free counseling sessions per year, per person, per episode. Counseling services can cover a variety of issues including addictions, marriage, divorce, career, parenting, depression, time management, grief and more.

Phone: 541-967-8345

Vital WorkLife for Clinicians

Busy physician and providers are often challenged with unique demands that impact well-being and work/life balance. Take charge with the VITAL WorkLife App, designed to help you assess and improve well-being, improve understanding of available resources and simplify access.

Call toll free 877-731-3949 for assistance any time or learn more on the SHS Clinician Portal.

15 Ways to Use the VITAL WorkLife App

1.  Take the Well-Being Index assessment.
2.  Use mindfulness resources to support your well-being and help reduce stress.
3.  Make travel arrangements with WorkLife Concierge.
4.  Take the Maslach Burnout Inventory.
5.  Read Insights written by industry experts to help in your well-being journey.
6.  Evaluate your relational depth.
7.  Assess your mindfulness with the Mindfulness Attention Awareness Scale.
8.  Take inventory of your financial and legal health.
9.  Contact us to schedule financial coaching.
10. Watch videos to improve your emotional intelligence.
11. Set goals to improve your physical well-being.
12. Learn more about your resources by watching the orientation video.
13. Make dinner reservations or purchase tickets with WorkLife Concierge.
14. Connect with your Peer Coaching resources.
15. Contact a VITAL WorkLife Well-Being Coordinator.

Authentic Connections

AC is a supportive, empirically based intervention, shown to reduce burnout and foster resilience among mothers experiencing ongoing everyday stress. Groups involve 12 weekly sessions of one hour each, with groups of 5-6 women. This opportunity is sponsored by the Samaritan Well-Being Council and Samaritan Medical Group. 

Please email Dr. Middendorf at kmiddendorf@samhealth.org  or Kristin Witt at kwitt@samhealth.org with interest or questions regarding upcoming groups.

Oregon Wellness Program

The Oregon Wellness Program serves to help Oregon health care clinicians prevent and address burnout. The program is open to any licensed Oregon physician, PA, or nurse practitioner.

An individual may receive up to 8 private counseling sessions per year, either in person or by telemedicine. Services are free and confidential.

In-person visits are available in Eugene or Salem, provided by vetted psychiatrists or psychologists.

Schedule a visit by calling 541-242-2805.

Visit the program for more information.

Oregon Psychiatric Access Line (OPAL Program)

The OPAL program launched OPAL-C (COVID-19 Clinician Stress Peer Support) in April 2020. OPAL consultants offer confidential peer support for medical clinicians experiencing stress. In addition, OPAL consultants can provide information regarding available community-based resources for practitioners seeking to establish care with a mental health professional. This is in addition to their ongoing psychiatric curbside consultations regarding adult and pediatric patients. (OPAL-A and OPAL-K) If you are interested, simply call OPAL number 503-346-1000 or toll free 855-966-7255.

Samaritan hosts the Schwartz Rounds program at GSR, SAGH, and LCH with plans to expand this program system-wide. Schwartz Rounds take place in hundreds of healthcare organizations in the U.S., Canada, U.K., Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. These events offer healthcare professionals a regularly scheduled time during their fast-paced work lives to openly and honestly discuss the social and emotional issues they face in caring for patients and families.

All storytellers come from diverse disciplines within Samaritan including (but not limited to) physicians, nurses, social workers, psychologists, allied health professionals, corporate staff, and chaplains. After listening to the event storytellers on an identified theme, members of the audience are invited to share their own perspectives/

Contact Well-Being Program Coordinator, Bonnie Bishop at bbishop@samhealth.org for more information on planning committee membership, events and storytelling opportunities.

Access peer support for yourself, or to make a referral for a team member in need. Completely confidential support from team members who are not counselors but who are good listeners and can provide support through difficult times.

Support is available by email 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Please include a name and phone number for the person in need of support.

Spiritual and emotional support available for anyone affiliated with Samaritan. Each community has chaplains available to help staff with needs, whether in clinic, hospital, or elsewhere in the organization. Most are available at all times by using the chaplain’s pager.

Contact your local chaplain if you would like this type of support.

Albany

Corvallis

Lebanon

Lincoln City

Newport

The Organizational Development (OD) team is offering 30-minute phone slots to provide short, targeted coaching sessions for Samaritan managers and leaders. OD Specialists Tom Graham, Dave Stickland and Susie King are available to you during these difficult times.

These coaching sessions are tailored to you, available weekdays, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. There’s no preset format: You determine the focus, whether it’s some tools to have that difficult conversation with an employee, or just some needed encouragement or support for you personally. It’s about listening, encouraging and maybe providing some coaching advice. 

If you would like to take advantage of a leadership coaching/support session, simply e-mail Dave Stickland. An OD professional will get back to you promptly to set up a phone conversation the same day, or as soon as possible.

SamFit Resources

Other Physical Health Resources

Whether you have questions about your credit report or want help planning for your retirement, Samaritan works with external providers to offer a variety of phone and in-person resources to help you be financially on track. Log into the network and visit Financial Planning Assistance (sharepoint.com) for more information. 

Samaritan Employee Resource Groups are open to all employees and promote diversity, equity, and inclusion goals at SHS. SERG’s include people who share culture, experiences, interests, and perspectives. These groups provide opportunity for social support, networking, mentoring, community participation, and cultural awareness. For more info contact Earlean Wilson Huey at ewilsonhuey@samhealth.org

  • Samaritan DiverseAbility Alliance SERG
  • Employees of Color SERG
  • Pride Alliance SERG
  • Veteran SERG

Headspace

All benefitted Samaritan employees have free access to Headspace. The guided mindfulness meditations and exercises can support better sleep, ease stress, and increase presence, calm, and compassion. JoinNow using your SHS email.

Introduction to Psychological Safety

Google’s Project Aristotle has identified psychological safety as the #1 predictor of high performing teams. Psychological safety decreases burnout and increases performance.  In this course, you will be introduced to the key concepts of psychological safety and how to implement them with your team.

Psychological Safety Skills

Psychological safety is an ongoing practice.  Implementing specific communication skills and techniques can help create a culture of psychological safety with your team, leading to increased performance and decreased burnout.  In the course, you will practice and develop key psychological safety skills. Prerequisite: Introduction to Psychological Safety.   

Completing the Stress Cycle

Research shows that stress responses linger in our bodies even after a stress-inducing event is over. This is where we can get stuck in stress cycles. Stress is a response that affects almost every organ system in our body, yet when we think about dealing with our stress, we tend to focus only on getting rid of what caused the stress, but don’t address the stress response itself. While you may not be able to control the stressors in your life, you can learn to better manage the stress response through completing the stress cycle. In this course we will identify the causes of stress, locate sources of healing in the body, start breaking down what gets in our way and explore a community approach to overcoming those barriers.

Introduction to Mindfulness

 

Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction

Well-being Benefit 

To join SamFit or participate in an external wellness option, Samaritan offers a Well-being benefit of $300 per year (or $150 if hired on or after June 30). The benefit is subject to tax withholding. Employees who work at least 32 hours per month, including casual, are eligible. Casual SHS employees are required to work two months prior to their enrollment in the benefit. You may enroll January 1 through the second Friday in December.

Employee Led Athletic Teams Financial Support

As part of its commitment to employee health and well-being, SHS will pay the team registration fee for employee-led athletic teams organized through local Parks and Recreation Departments up to $500 per team annually. Any team requests outside of Parks and Recreation will be reviewed on a case by case basis. Please fill out this form to submit your request for review. Requests are reviewed once a month. If the request needs to be addressed immediately please email marketing@samhealth.org. Please review the full policy guidelines before submitting your request.

Healthy Habits Incentive 

Samaritan employees who are Samaritan Choice Wellness Plan subscribers (if you have the health plan premium withheld from your paycheck) can receive a $150 Healthy Habits incentive by earning a total of 20 points for completing a variety of health-related activities through the My Wellness portal. Get your incentive paid out within the first two quarters of the following year. 

Free 24/7 support at your fingertips.

Text HOME to 741741 to start a conversation by text with a live, trained Crisis Counselor. Learn more.

Miscellaneous Resources 

ArtsCare Program

Our Mission - Promote the joining of art and music in health care settings and through evaluation, research and regarding its effects.
Our Vision - Through the everyday presence of art and music in health care settings, enhance the health care experience and promote the physical and emotional well-being of patients, visitors and staff. Evaluation and research activities guide Arts in Healthcare growth and contribute to the scientific body of knowledge about arts in health care.

Coursera - The Science of Well-Being

One Yale’s most popular courses is now available for free. In this course you will engage in a series of challenges designed to increase your own happiness and build more productive habits.

Greater Good Science Center 

Greater Good magazine turns scientific research into stories, tips, and tools for a happier life and a more compassionate society. Through articles, videos, quizzes, and podcasts, they bridge the gap between scientific journals and people’s daily lives, particularly for parents, educators, business leaders, and health care professionals.

Duke Center for Healthcare Safety & Quality

Duke Center for Healthcare Safety and Quality promotes a culture of safety, wellness, and well-being among our team members, patients, and community.

Need Additional Resources?

If you need a wellness resource that you don’t see on this page, please contact the Employee Well-Being team.

Employee Well-Being