Explore health and well-being resources at new COVID-19 Well-being Help Center
During the COVID-19 pandemic, it is important for Michigan Medicine faculty, staff and learners, as well as members of the larger community, to take care of themselves.
In addition to staying healthy and staying home, except for engaging in essential services, all must attend to emotional, as well as physical well-being. Access to educational materials, counseling, tips, best practices, and other services — both at U-M and outside campus — is essential to maintain fitness in all areas as Michigan Medicine navigates this unprecedented time.
A wealth of health and well-being resources is now available in the COVID-19 Well-being Help Center on the new Michigan Medicine Wellness Office website: wellnessoffice.med.umich.edu. The Wellness Office, under the direction of Chief Wellness Officer Kirk J. Brower, M.D., was established in 2019 to provide centralized coordination, development and implementation of programs and initiatives designed to improve and support workplace well-being for faculty, staff and learners at Michigan Medicine.
The Wellness Office website currently is home to the COVID-19 Unified Mental Health Group, which coordinates the Stress Response Team through the Office of Counseling and Workplace Resilience (OCWR). This team provides direct (on the hospital floors) and virtual counseling to front-line faculty and staff.
In the Emotional Health and Well-being section, the website lists other counseling and support resources for Michigan Medicine faculty, residents and staff through OCWR; and learners through the House Officer Mental Health Program, Medical School Counselors, Medical School Mental Health Services and the Office of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies. Counseling for all faculty, staff and learners, as well as their families is available through the University Psychological Clinic and the University Center for the Child and Family.
The Faculty, Leaders and Managers section includes support for all areas of the tripartite mission, including resources for health care professionals; inclusion and equity, and access while teaching remotely; and COVID-19 funding opportunities for investigators. The Office of Faculty Development also has culled a list of helpful resources around a variety of topics: building community, crisis management, coaching, managing remote work and managing sick employees.
A section on Additional Support includes support for individuals, including front-line faculty and staff, as well as food safety and cleaning/hygiene; information on caring for family members, including those who have COVID-19 symptoms; child care and teaching at home resources; support for departments on redeploying staff; and key information for our research community.
Key partners of the Wellness Office include OCWR and the offices of Faculty Affairs and Faculty Development, Graduate Medical Education (internal U-M site), Health Equity and Inclusion, Organizational Learning, Human Resources, MHealthy, and the University of Michigan Medical School, among others. To submit information for consideration for the site, or to contact the Wellness Office, click here.
