1:00 pm - 2:15 pm EDT

Please join us for our conference kick-off and hear from Rana Lee Adawi Awdish, MD, staff physician and director of the Pulmonary Hypertension Program at Henry Ford Hospital. Dr. Rana Awdish is the author of “In Shock,” a critically-acclaimed, bestselling memoir based on her own critical illness. She is a sought-after public speaker, delivering inspirational keynote addresses to groups ranging from professional medical societies, to members of Congress, to organizations combating homelessness.

*There are no continuing education credits available for this session.*

3:00 pm - 4:00 pm EDT

We believe in the telling of stories as an act of justice and agency to transform. We will share a discussion about a project that created a safe online space to tell and share stories of systemic and interpersonal racism in nursing; stories about moments when we experienced, confronted, resisted, or were complicit in racism. In the story sharing sessions (5 workshops), practices of compassion, self-care, contemplation, and active listening were facilitated in supporting this agency and collective healing, to understand and respond to racism. Participants will be invited to participate in a reflective practice and a storytelling activity.

1:00 pm - 2:00 pm EDT

Healthcare professionals are profoundly committed to excellence and compassion for their patients. All too often, this same level of caring fails to extend to those with whom they spend the majority of their working days, their colleagues. Although there is now a vast literature on compassion fatigue, moral damage and burnout, there are very few models that consider, never mind intentionally tailor, interpersonal infrastructure and key processes to maximize the wellness of individuals, teams, divisions, departments or institutions. Matthew J. Loscalzo, LCSW, will present a successful prosocial staff leadership model that thoughtfully strives to integrate courage and compassion into all interactions.

1:00 pm - 2:00 pm EDT

Providing compassionate care and creating psychological safety — as it directly impacts provider resilience and the patient experience — were known gaps prior to COVID-19; the last year has produced additional strain on our relationships with both colleagues and patients. Now more than ever, creating a culture of compassion is necessary not only for the well-being of our front-line providers but also for our patients. This session will serve as a reminder for leaders and care providers and give attendees practical steps to create a compassionate culture of psychological safety and move from a theoretical good to an actionable essential.

3:00 pm - 4:00 pm EDT

During these unprecedented times, we have witnessed the absolute best in humanity. “Sounds of Caring: New York” has been a healing and cathartic experience for Northwell Health team members, yet it is a message that truly reaches the rest of the world. A collection of 20 voices, accompanied with powerful music and picturesque backdrops of New York, serve as an audiovisual time capsule highlighting the power and importance of human connection and how we are all forever changed. Join this visual arts presentation, where attendees will preview the profound and award-winning short film, hear firsthand from sound artist, Yoko K. Sen, about how the piece was curated and created, learn how this film has impacted Northwell’s road to recovery and resilience, and experience a moment of pause, reflection and open group discussion.

1:00 pm - 2:00 pm EDT

The inequalities faced by underrepresented minorities (URMs) within the social and learning environment compared to their non-URM counterparts is often unrecognized. URMs are more likely to experience less supportive social and less positive learning environments and they’re more likely to experience mistreatment. Through the sharing of personal narratives, we hope to shed light on the ways discrimination may be experienced by trainees and how educators can improve the training experience of and empower their URM trainees.

1:00 pm - 2:00 pm EDT

During this extraordinary shared global experience, healthcare providers find themselves in a uniquely challenging position without family at the patient’s bedside. Technology has delivered us a new tool and virtual visitation policies for families have become a fixture of our realities. This is especially complicated with pre-existing language and cultural barriers. How has the healthcare community navigated this with our sense of compassion and overall provider well-being intact?

1:00 pm - 2:00 pm EDT

This team believes that one of the most important factors for the rise in COVID-19 cases in the Hispanic community is the lack of education. This presentation is focused on their experiences as volunteers to educate the Hispanic community in terms of COVID prevention, treatment and vaccination.

3:00 pm - 4:00 pm EDT

Healthcare professionals understand more than most the value of storytelling. Every day, you listen to your patients’ stories to provide the best treatment. You also share stories with your colleagues to learn from one another and to provide comfort and support. In this unique session, explore the key elements for delivering a compelling story and how to amplify your personal experiences, including at the Schwartz Center’s September storytelling event.

*There are no continuing education credits available for this session.*

3:00 pm - 4:00 pm EDT

Join as Northwell Health, New York’s largest health system, discusses their innovative peer support program, Team Lavender, to promote employee resiliency, humanism and holistic well-being. Team Lavender is an interdisciplinary group of professionals dedicated to supporting colleagues during times of stress and/or hardship by offering a moment of pause, teamwork and peer support. The panel will highlight how Team Lavender operates a system and site-based levels. Responders will share personal stories of challenges and successes and Site Leaders will discuss lessons learned and recovery sustainment planning.

1:00 pm - 2:00 pm EDT

No aspect of society has been untouched by the COVID-19 pandemic. The necessary isolation of families from dying loved ones can rob them of many of the rituals and customs surrounding death that are a necessary part of healing. This panel will explore innovative strategies one hospital’s Caregivers Center employed to meet the increasing need for bereavement and support services and how many of these strategies have been integrated into their ongoing program. Maintaining open and timely communication during complex grieving processes allowed the team to engage with their communities and team members on a new and more meaningful level, providing compassion and hope.

1:00 pm - 2:00 pm EDT

This interactive workshop will explore how healthcare education can be enhanced and a more compassionate clinical learning environment can be created by actively fostering a culture of mattering and capitalizing on signature character strengths. Following introductions to the VIA Character Strengths and Mattering in Healthcare, participants will engage in discussions around how each can be incorporated into their educational environments and the ways that students and educators will benefit.

3:00 pm - 4:00 pm EDT

This presentation will discuss culture in the perioperative space. Zero tolerance for bullying, harassment and microaggressions is imperative. Special consideration for vulnerability of women and underrepresented minorities must always be amplified.

1:00 pm - 2:00 pm EDT

Self-compassion involves treating ourselves kindly, like we would a close friend we cared about. Rather than continually judging and evaluating ourselves, self-compassion involves generating kindness toward ourselves as imperfect humans, and learning to be present with the inevitable struggles of life with greater ease. This talk will present theory and research on self-compassion, which a burgeoning empirical literature has shown to be powerfully associated with psychological well-being. It will also discuss the crucial role that self-compassion plays for healthcare professionals in order to reduce burnout. A practice will be taught that can help individuals maintain balance in difficult situations involving caring for others.

*There are no continuing education credits available for this session.*

3:00 pm - 4:00 pm EDT

Underrepresented Minority (URM) trainees are disproportionately placed on remediation and are more likely to face serious repercussions. However, early recognition of a struggling learner with appropriate intervention can help a trainee reach their full potential. This workshop aims to demystify the term “remediation,” define the steps of the remediation process, and identify the practices that contribute to the disproportionate number of URMs in this process.

1:00 pm - 2:00 pm EDT

Studies show that telling—and hearing—a personal story can enhance the well-being of both the teller and the listener. Among the many benefits, sharing a personal story can tether us to helpful mindfulness practices, reconnect us to deep sources of motivation, provide an emotional catharsis, and be a tool of compassion and connection. This workshop will give an overview of the literature supporting the use of personal narrative as a wellness tool, describe how a narrative program can be launched within a healthcare organization, and provide an experiential process to demonstrate the benefit of a shared story.

3:00 pm - 4:00 pm EDT

Three of the core narratives that frame the way we understand our health are Chaos, Quest, and Restitution (Arthur Frank, The Wounded Storyteller). These overlapping narratives inform and impact health literacy, subsequently influencing the way patients, clients and community members manage their health and health communication. Through a DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) lens, this workshop provides an overview of Narrative Health (including the framework above), discusses how narrative impacts health literacy, and uses an interactive exercise to enhance the ability of participants to recognize and respond with compassion to themes in patient, client and community-facing conversations.

3:00 pm - 4:00 pm EDT

The Schwartz Center team invites you to preview a new framework we are developing to help advance trauma- and resilience-informed organizational cultures in healthcare. When you register for this discussion, we’ll send you further information about the Healing Healthcare Initiative (HHI) and HHI Framework, and invite you to join a small-group discussion facilitated by Schwartz Center Chief Medical Officer Dr. Beth Lown, inviting your reactions, feedback, and ideas for building on HHI to advance compassion in our organizations.

*There are no continuing education credits available for this session.*

1:00 pm - 2:00 pm EDT

As a leader in national healthcare, Mass General Brigham has recognized the impact racism embedded in substance use disorder care, drug policy, and the treatment of patients who use drugs has on our system of care. In this panel discussion, we will highlight the work being done by the system-wide Substance Use Steering Committee to develop an anti-racism framework which identifies and dismantles systemic racism that impacts individuals who use drugs, including those with a substance use disorder.

3:00 pm - 4:00 pm EDT

What is it like to be a minority healthcare provider? To be LGBTQ, African-American, or Latino/a in an overwhelmingly straight and white healthcare culture and environment? To better understand these experiences and perspectives for the many and to affirm and confirm experiences and perspectives for others, Schwartz Rounds were used to focus on and explore these questions. These Rounds were well-attended and well-received, sometimes emotional, and consistently illuminating for the majority and supportive for those identifying with the panelists. They have led to countless follow-up conversations and contributed to positive culture change—expanding experiences of understanding and compassion.

1:00 pm - 2:00 pm EDT

While in-person Schwartz Rounds previously provided us a safe space to share our experiences, these Rounds needed to be cancelled for everyone’s physical safety. Recognizing the need to resume Rounds, JPS Health Network recreated the same psychological safety by implementing both unit-based and institutional Schwartz Rounds via Zoom. This session will describe and model the innovative strategies utilized to ensure participant attendance and participation that resulted in the doubling and tripling attendance.

3:00 pm - 4:00 pm EDT

What is compassionate healthcare leadership and what does it look like today? What values does it encompass and how is it operationalized? Leaders from Iora Health, Cityblock Health, American Organization for Nursing Leadership/American Hospital Association, Mass General Brigham and Providence will join us to answer these questions and discuss the ways in which their organizations have cared for their patients with compassion, while also supporting their burned-out healthcare workers during the pandemic and amidst cries for social justice.

*There are no continuing education credits available for this session.*

3:00 pm - 4:00 pm EDT

This workshop outlines a virtual mental health initiative to equip leaders to support their staff during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. To highlight what employees experienced during didactic virtual sessions, presenters will discuss session content, including concepts and skills in the areas of self-care, communication, and boundaries. Participants will gain knowledge and resources to guide the planning and implementation of a virtual well-being program in their organizations.

3:00 pm - 4:00 pm EDT

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion programs include the creation of inclusive environments. Environments where the care team, community members and patients can engage and learn about many different cultures, faiths, and traditions. This interactive virtual workshop will provide an example of one such created practice and the steps that led up to it.

7:00 pm - 8:30 pm ET

This one and a half hour workshop* is highly interactive with the goal of laughing and exploring the basics of improvisational comedy. No comedy or laughter experience necessary. Please come ready to participate, with your camera on, as all attendees will engage in a series of short form improv games that connect to larger improv principals. This will be followed by a conversation with participants making connections between improv and your work.

*Special registration required. Space is limited. Registration details will be available soon.

*There are no continuing education credits available for this session.*

1:00 pm - 2:00 pm EDT

Given the urgency of the need, we must address burnout, stress, trauma and poor mental health in the healthcare workforce. Panelists will discuss the work they’ve done to support caring for healthcare workers, as well as patients and families, that is trauma- and resilience-informed. How do organizational leaders create compassionate organizational cultures for all using this lens? What is the responsibility of staff and employees? What role can you play in addressing this collective need? Join the discussion!

*There are no continuing education credits available for this session.*

1:00 pm - 2:00 pm EDT

More than 70 percent of health outcomes are tied to social and environmental conditions and the behaviors influenced by them. These issues influence health far more than the healthcare we offer in our hospitals and clinics. The research is clear, yet progress in integrating care and measures that reflect these key issues has lagged behind the critical need to address them. Join this panel conversation among policy experts, foundation leaders and physicians on the front lines of care who will discuss opportunities for interventions to address the upstream drivers of health.

*There are no continuing education credits available for this session.*

3:00 pm - 4:00 pm EDT

Peer Support has been recognized as an integral part of workforce safety and adverse event management. However, the question remains: How do I implement a Peer Support program at my institution? In this session, we will provide not only the what and why of Peer Support, but the how of Peer Support. We will present a framework for effectively training Peer Supporters and developing a centralized, streamlined, and successful Peer Support program at your institution. In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, this work has never been more imperative. And as we shift our lives to a remote reality, we have developed new methods that make remote learning more feasible: the COVID-19 silver lining.

3:00 pm - 4:00 pm EDT

As the 2021 Compassion in Action Healthcare Conference draws to a close, we invite you to come together with other members to share what you’ve learned, been inspired by, and hope to bring back to your organization. We look forward to making connections with one another that we can sustain as we continue our efforts to advance compassion across the Schwartz Center member community.

*There are no continuing education credits available for this session.*

1:00 pm - 2:00 pm EDT

The plimsoll line on the hull of a ship indicates whether or not it is carrying too much cargo and is therefore likely to sink if it leaves harbor. If water is over the line, the ship is overloaded and cargo needs to be removed. As healthcare professionals, we can become overloaded, too, with the cargo of our daily tasks and the stress of working at the front lines of a global pandemic. The Center for Resiliency’s 6-hour Resiliency Training provides short, practical tools that can be used on the job and at the bedside to manage our capacity to carry our cargo. In this workshop we’ll share some of the evidence-based tools we teach to facilitate emotional awareness, emotion regulation, and to reconnect with the core values that call us to our profession. We’ll also share the quantitative and qualitative feedback from the 160+ participants from all over the country who have attended the training since it was created in August 2020.

1:00 pm - 2:00 pm EDT

Staff who are emotionally and psychologically affected by traumatizing events at the hospital need support from the organization in order to continue to give the best care to our patients and to care for themselves. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, wellness supports had been established to meet the emotional and psychological needs of the staff across the NYC Health + Hospitals/Kings County campus through the Helping Healers Heal (H3) program. The program was implemented to provide workforce resilience, well-being, and engagement. As a result of COVID-19 in early 2020, supports were increased, engaging redeployed staff members to promote psychological stability, reduce vulnerability to vicarious and complex traumatization and to increase connection to help and resources.

1:00 pm - 2:00 pm EDT

In 2016, federal statutes related to child welfare policy were amended in response to the growing impact of the opioid epidemic on family systems. One change in this legislation calls for a family-centered approach to safe caregiving of newborns in families impacted by substance use: the Plan of Safe Care (PoSC) mandate. Under these guidelines, organizations are free to individualize the form in which the PoSC will take as long as key components are included. This panel will share our experience with the design, organization, and implementation of our Facilitated Video-Conferencing-Enhanced PoSC.

1:00 pm - 2:00 pm EDT

Mentorship programs are a staple within organizations, but are they effective? Research indicates many positive benefits to effective mentoring of physicians including higher career satisfaction, increased research productivity, and improved personal development. This highly interactive session will discuss how to build a structure to support the development of resiliency through meaningful mentorship relationships. Participants will leave with a template for implementing a mentorship program at their own institutions.

7:00 pm - 8:15 pm EDT

Healthcare professionals appreciate more than most the importance of  compassion, particularly after the past two years. Join us for a special virtual event featuring meaningful stories told by our peers across the country. Discover the transformative moments where displaying empathy was as important as a diagnostic skill, or when a small, surprising gesture made all the difference.

*There are no continuing education credits available for this session.*

4:00 pm - 5:00 pm EDT

This talk will feature a description of the history of Stress First Aid, from the inception of the “seven Cs” as a mnemonic in the Navy to how it has changed and developed through its use in first responder, police, rail, probation, and healthcare settings. Emphasis will be placed on how it is different from other resilience and peer support models, how it has contributed to positive change across different settings, how the Schwartz Center has furthered what we know about its implementation and use, and how it has changed cultures and organizations.

*There are no continuing education credits available for this session.*

1:00 pm - 2:15 pm EDT

Achieving health equity requires: 1) valuing all individuals and populations equally, 2) recognizing and rectifying historical injustices, and 3) providing resources according to need.

Racism is a huge roadblock to achieving health equity in the United States, yet many people are in staunch denial of its continued existence and profoundly negative impacts on the health and well-being of the nation. And even those who acknowledge that racism exists sometimes feel ill-equipped to say the word “racism” out loud or take action to address it.

Dr. Jones will share tools for understanding and acting on four key messages:
• Racism exists
• Racism is a system
• Racism saps the strength of the whole society
• We can act to dismantle racism

She will share four of her allegories on “race” and racism that illuminate topics that are otherwise difficult for many Americans to understand or discuss. She will also provide definitions, frameworks, and other tools to equip participants to engage in a National Campaign Against Racism with three tasks: 1) name racism, 2) ask “How is racism operating here?”, and 3) organize and strategize to act.

*There are no continuing education credits available for this session.*

12:00 pm - 12:30 pm EDT

Join Founding Editor of Mindful magazine and mindful.org Barry Boyce, for an afternoon meditation.

*There are no continuing education credits available for this session.*

4:00 pm - 5:15 pm EDT

We invite you to join our annual Corman IMPACT Honors program celebrating the incredible work Schwartz Center members are doing to make transformational impacts through the creation of programs and initiatives that promote compassionate, collaborative care within their organization or systems.

During this panel discussion, Schwartz Center Chief Medical Officer Dr. Beth Lown will be joined by a spokesperson from each of our three honorees for a conversation about their respective programs and the impact on patients, families and their organizations. The event will be followed by optional virtual networking where attendees will meet each spokesperson and have an opportunity to ask questions.

2021 Corman IMPACT Honors Honorees:

Grady Memorial Hospital
Chronic Care Clinic

Montefiore Medical Center
Arts and Integrative Medicine (AIM)

St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton
3 Wishes Project

*There are no continuing education credits available for this session.*

3:00 pm - 4:15 pm EDT

An Emmy Award-winning journalist and celebrated TED speaker, Suleika Jaouad is the author of the instant New York Times bestselling memoir Between Two Kingdoms, which recounts her odyssey of healing and self-discovery after a diagnosis of leukemia at the age of twenty-two and given only a 35% chance of survival.  During a four-year battle with cancer, Jaouad chronicled her illness in her widely read The New York Times “Life, Interrupted” column and video series. Since then she has become an inspiring guide for those living with illness as well as those struggling with and enduring life’s many challenges and interruptions.  Her reporting and essays have been featured in The New York Times Magazine, The Atlantic, The Guardian, and Vogue, among others. Her mainstage TED Talk was one of the ten most popular of 2019 and has over four million views. She is also the creator of the Isolation Journals, a global project founded during the Covid-19 pandemic to cultivate creativity and connection in challenging times; over 100,000 people from around the world have joined.

*There are no continuing education credits available for this session.*