CHRISTUS Health honored for clinician mental wellness by American Medical Association

CHRISTUS Health has earned silver recognition from the American Medical Association (AMA) for its efforts in promoting the well-being of clinicians and battling work-related mental health issues.

The AMA’s Joy in Medicine Health System Recognition Program honors health systems, hospitals and medical groups for their dedication to mental wellness and reducing clinician burnout. This year, the AMA honored over 100 organizations, including CHRISTUS Health.

CHRISTUS Health’s recognition is attributed to the efforts of Dr. Linda Ray and Dr. Marisa Emmons, who started the HoneyComb Project to address stress and mental fatigue of clinicians.

“The HoneyComb Project was born out of a deep desire to ensure our clinicians never feel alone,” said Ray, CHRISTUS Trinity Clinic internal medicine physician. “We wanted to create a safe space where colleagues could connect, share and support one another and enjoy long careers in this great work.”

The HoneyComb Project began in 2016 as an initiative to address burnout in clinicians and has evolved into training colleagues to recognize distress and facilitating a system-wide peer support network.

Today, the project includes more than 20 trained peer supporters and has reached over 130 clinicians across CHRISTUS Health. The program maintains a 75% response rate, nearly double the national average of 40%, and has been credited with improving retention and reducing isolation among clinicians.

“Doctors don’t want to call employee assistance programs,” Ray said. “The HoneyComb Project was their reach out. It was nurturing to them at a time where they were really having a hardship and they wanted to stay and make it right.”

The peer support offered through the HoneyComb Project is confidential, and clinicians are encouraged to reach out for both professional and personal hardships. Associates are matched with an anonymous peer supporter based on specialty, location and experience.

“We have a goal of contacting them within 72 hours,” said Brandon Macias, nurse practitioner for CHRISTUS Spohn Health System and peer supporter for the HoneyComb Project. “Everything stays between the peer supporter and the provider going through it.”

Peer supporters participate in annual training and monthly workshops to stay current on wellness strategies and stress management techniques. The program emphasizes ongoing education, including accredited lectures and leadership development opportunities.

“I’ve truly seen it firsthand, not only on the retention side, but on changing people’s lives,” Macias said. “A lot of what they want is just to be heard and felt seen. And I think the number one thing our company is doing is showing we’re not just talk; we’re invested in you, and we care about you.”