Using a whole health approach to support health care employees during the sars-cov-2 pandemic

Objective: In recent years, the Veteran's Health Administration (VA) has been engaged in a large-scale transformation towards a Whole Health System (WHS) model of care Major shifts include moving from a disease-focused model to one that incorporates complementary and patient-centered approaches to improve overall health and well-being A key component of this model is supporting employee well-being The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic disrupted VA healthcare systems and increased stress and anxiety for employees This study sought to examine how VA's WHS transformation efforts intersected with its SARSCoV- 2 pandemic response Methods: A single, multi-person qualitative interview was conducted at each of the 18 VA Medical Centers as part of an ongoing, multi-year evaluation of WH transformation Sixty-one Whole Health leaders and staff participated in the interviews that focused on how WH transformation had been affected by the SARS-CoV-2 disruption and how WH was used to support employee needs during the pandemic We used a rapid approach to conduct a directed content analysis, using a priori and emergent categories Results: While the pandemic initially slowed organizational and cultural transformation efforts, medical centers intentionally embraced a Whole Health approach to support employees during this crisis These efforts included promoting complementary and integrative Health (CIH) therapies and WH concepts to combat stress Sites supported employee well-being by offering an extensive variety of self-care activities for staff The need for stress-reducing supports elevated the perceived value of the WHS, generating endorsement from hospital leadership Conclusion: At a time of crisis, most sites leaned into Whole Health, using it as a key strategy to support employee well-being This demonstrates the promise of using a WH approach for addressing stress and anxiety in health care workers Additionally, aligning ongoing transformation efforts with immediate crisis-related needs can help ensure continued progress even while organizational priorities may temporarily lie elsewhere