The Oregon Wellness Program: Serving Healthcare Professionals in Distress from Burnout and COVID-19

Abstract

Clinicians are reluctant to seek mental health services. They fear loss of livelihood and disciplinary action. The Oregon Wellness Program (OWP) is a state-wide consolidated mental health initiative formally established in 2018 as a physician, physician assistant, acupuncturist, and podiatrist program. OWP is self-referral, not-mandated, strictly confidential, and free. Reporting to oversight bodies is forbidden. Utilization increased from 228 clients to 349 clients (a 53% increase) and 405 visits to 625 visits (a 54% increase) from 2019 to 2020 respectively, coinciding with the first COVID-19 pandemic surge. Between April 2019 and the end of August 2020, 41 of 433 (9.5%) individuals who were provided mental health services returned 77 program evaluation surveys, indicating satisfaction with the program (96%), its helpfulness to them personally (99%), and changes made in their personal lives (80%). The burnout response rate fell with increased visits and reallocation of activities within their practices increased (39%). A survey of mental health professionals corroborated positive results of their clients. The OWP can serve as a model for healthcare professional support programs. Collaboration among healthcare organizations, professional, and oversight bodies is essential. Increasing sustainable funding to pay for expanding services for dentists and nurses, assuring access for rural clinicians, and developing research tools to capture a more robust sample of responses remain priorities.