HERMISTON — Good Shepherd Health Care System announced on Wednesday, Sept. 27, it received a grant of almost $50,000 in May to improve the well-being of health care workers.

Good Shepherd received a $49,885 RN Well-being Program grant from the Oregon Center for Nursing. Good Shepherd was one of 18 health care organizations to receive the OCN grants.

The grant is funding Good Shepherd’s Employee Well-being Improvement Project, which aims to address specific well-being challenges among health care workers, according to the press release, such as the consistent downplaying of personal needs and stress management in nurses and support staff.

In the OCN’s most recent survey, 97% of 5,000 Oregon nurses reported experiencing a work-related stressor. The top three stressors were heavy or increased workload, uncertainty about when health care will settle down and burnout overall.

Good Shepherd’s Vice President of Nursing Brian Patrick said the grant benefits Good Shepherd and the community.

“When we invest in the education and well-being of our staff, we are investing in our ability to deliver safe and high-quality healthcare to our patients,” said Patrick. “That, in turn, is an investment in the health care of our community. We are very appreciative of this award, and very thankful for the privilege of serving Eastern Oregon.”

Good Shepherd used the grant to contract with Community Counseling Solutions to perform individual counseling sessions and lead group counseling sessions on-site at the hospital with virtual options available to staff working remotely. The goal is for Good Shepherd employees to develop personal coping mechanisms to handle workplace stressors.

Nursing staff leadership also is excited for this opportunity.

“When nurses use counseling services such as this, we can see a clear connection to decreased turnover, an increase in performance and productivity, and general mood improvement,” said Angela Christman, Good Shepherd’s nursing supervisor manager.

Success will be determined if the project shows a clear connection between counseling sessions and increased employee well-being, according to the press release. The goal is to continuously improve project participant well-being during the entirety of the 24-month grant and far beyond its completion.

This grant was made possible by Good Shepherd’s Community Health & Outreach and Wellness team including Jessica Reker, director of Community Health & Outreach; Kristin Mitas, Health & Wellness coordinator; and Community Counseling Solution’s Liz Courtney, qualified mental health professional.

For information on the Employee Well-being Improvement Project grant, visit shorturl.at/lAEP4. For information on employee well-being and any other programs Good Shepherd offers, contact 541-667-3509 or healthinfo@gshealth.org.