September 2022 Spotlight

How long have you been a Buckeye Wellness Innovator?

One year to less than two years

Approximately how many people are in your department, unit, building, or college?

There are 34 Advanced Practice Providers (APP) within the Department of Family and Community Medicine

Regarding your department or unit's wellness efforts, which of the nine dimensions of wellness has your team addressed?

• Physical
• Emotional
• Environmental
• Social
• Creative
• Creative
• Spiritual

Describe a successful activity that your team planned around the nine dimensions of wellness.

We held an APP Wellness Walk the morning of April 23rd at the Scioto Audubon Metro Park. The day started out with a fun icebreaker each person identifying their favorite animal and then turning that animal into a yoga pose as a warm-up for a quick meditation. Jessica Henning led the morning program with meditation, breathing exercises, and a mindfulness walk through the park. The morning ended with a healthy lunch catered by Metro Cuisine thanks to a grant from the Buckeye Wellness Innovator program. All together 14 APPs enjoyed a beautiful sunny spring morning together. It was a time for all of us to get together for fellowship, mindfulness, and health. 

Each fall the APP Wellness Committee hosts an APP Retreat. This past fall we held the afternoon retreat at Top Golf. The event started with lunch and an inspirational discussion led by Brenda Buffington from the OSU College of Nursing. Afterward, we enjoyed a few fun rounds of 'golf'. This year we are excited to have Dean Bernadette Melnyk join us at Marmon Valley Horse Farm in October for our 4th annual APP Wellness Retreat. 

If you could accomplish anything as a Buckeye Wellness Innovator, what would your dream be?

I would like to provide a dedicated time each month for every department member to have time to participate in a wellness activity of their choosing. For example, the ability to block one-half day of clinic time per month to engage in one or more dimensions of wellness. 

Describe how a manager or supervisor in your unit/department/building/college has supported your role as a Buckeye Wellness Innovator.

 As APRNs in the Department of Family and Community Medicine, we all work in individual offices so it is often hard to feel a sense of community. My manager, Ali DeLucia, is very supportive of our APP Wellness Committee activities. She encourages involvement in our Wellness Committee to any APP who is interested, she advocates for time away from our clinics for the APP Wellness Retreat once annually and also for funding for our activities. In addition, Ali leads by example as an enthusiastic participant in our activities.  

What has your lead administrator/dean/vice president/department chair specifically done to show support?

Dr. Nair is our interim Department Chair and she supports our APP wellness activities by providing funding, time away from the office for our retreat and highlighting our efforts within the Department. She supports wellness and collaboration. In addition, we are working together to provide activities for upcoming individual office retreats which will take place this fall. 

Please share how your team has overcome barriers to engaging your colleagues and/or students in your wellness efforts.

Aside from our annual APP Wellness Retreat, it is not feasible to plan activities and events during the work day as we all are seeing patients and providing care. An obstacle has been balancing the need for camaraderie and team-building time together with acknowledging the need for a life/family balance and time away from work. Our APP Wellness Walk was held for two hours on a Saturday morning. We worked as a committee to provide a concise and meaningful activity. Our committee meets monthly to brainstorm and discuss potential activities and ways to support our APPs in all aspects of wellness.