Editor鈥檚 note: In the second installment of the EMS Burnout Repair Kit series, presented by SA国际传媒 and sponsored by , members from the Boston EMS Peer Support Unit discuss their approach to provider mental and physical health through:
- >Fitness, including a demonstration from
- >Customized workouts for members at all fitness levels
- >Injury prevention through stretching and strengthening
In 2019, the Boston EMS Peer Support Unit, realizing members鈥� needs were growing exponentially during the pandemic, tossed the playbook they had used for years, and called an audible in how they delivered services to their membership, according to Lt. Patrick Calter, BEMS PSU coordinator. [Fill out the form on this page to download a tip sheet for starting a health and wellness program]
Boston EMS implemented a Health and Wellness Program, initially focusing on psychological first aid and suicide prevention, and then expanding to address members鈥� resiliency and sustainability for members after any time on the job. 鈥淥ur new goals were to provide the tools for a successful and healthy career with the department.鈥�
Calter explains the program鈥檚 efforts 鈥� incorporating training in toxic stress reduction, trauma informed care, fitness classes, stretching and yoga 鈥� are the 鈥渇ourth leg of the stool鈥� in peer support. Supporting the members requires recognition, intervention and postvention, and then caring for the folks who have done the work and preparing them to go back into the workforce and be the most resilient responders they can be, Calter explained. He defines success as teaching members how to be resilient responders who 鈥済et out healthy and live for as long as possible, retired and happy.鈥�
Leaders from the Boston EMS Health and Wellness Program shared what they鈥檝e learned as they鈥檝e grown in an SA国际传媒 webinar, sponsored by .
The panel included:
- Lieutenant Patrick Calter, state EMS instructor/coordinator, coordinator of the Boston EMS Peer Support Program, suicide prevention instructor, addiction recovery coach and ICISF certified trainer
- Felicia Hickey, NRP, lead field training officer assigned to the Boston EMS academy, certified Crossfit Level I trainer, and ICISF certified in group and individual peer support
- Nicholas Mutter, BS, NRP, Boston EMS union secretary, ICISF certified in group and individual peer support, a certified recovery coach, and certified in psychological first aid and with veteran-related suicide prevention
- Chrissy Snyder, NREMT, certified yoga and meditation instructor, and ICISF certified in group and individual peer support
Healthy habits to nurture provider resiliency, career longevity
Following are tips Boston EMS offered for creating a successful health and wellness program.
1. Get buy-in
Lieutenant Calter noted the biggest question he gets about the health and wellness program is, unsurprisingly, 鈥渉ow do you build it?鈥� followed by, 鈥渉ow do you fund it?鈥�
First and foremost, you need buy-in from the decision makers, Calter explained. 鈥淲e at Boston EMS are very fortunate that this was an easy sell,鈥� he noted. Boston EMS has a long-standing (since 1989) peer support program. When approaching decision makers about adding fitness and wellness initiatives, the chief was the first person to sign on.
As for funding, money was obviously tight, Calter said. Amidst the pandemic impact on resources, 鈥渕oney was going out the door, without a whole lot coming in.鈥� But leadership recognized this was an investment the department needed to make and was willing to make. The initial request: at least one full-time person assigned to health and wellness to get the program off the ground, was asked and answered with a yes.
That was a great message to send to the membership, Calter noted, of 鈥渨e see there is a need here, and you matter.鈥�
The department was also fortunate to receive a donation from a group of attorneys after an associated press interview about the program. Though they couldn鈥檛 accept the funds as a municipal agency, the donation inspired the Boston EMS Foundation, a nonprofit organization that can accept donations earmarked for members鈥� health and wellness and peer support needs. That original generous donation was the start of funding that is now allowing the department to build a gym and academy home for the program. 鈥淚 wouldn鈥檛 say it鈥檚 easy, but the pillar of it is buy-in,鈥� Calter said.
2. Customize training to individual fitness levels
As with any group, Boston EMS members鈥� abilities and strengths vary. As a CrossFit instructor, Felicia Hickey is able to adapt members鈥� workouts to meet their fitness levels.
Hickey ranks members from an initial fitness test and separates groups into different levels. One room will offer cardio, and another more weight and strength training, she explained, whatever that group needs the most to succeed.
It鈥檚 also important to create a holistic, supportive environment where people feel safe, Snyder said, noting they avoid pressure and competition that can push people away.
鈥淎ny sort of movement is better than no movement at all,鈥� she noted. 鈥淚f you鈥檙e going to start somewhere, start a program off fresh by trying to start events that involve movement, involve socializing.鈥�
3. Combine stretching and strengthening to prevent injuries
One class Boston EMS offers is barre. While sometimes stereotypically thought of as a class for dancers or females, Boston EMS incorporates barre classes to help members strengthen their hips, thighs and back, Snyder explained.
Without a balance, overstretching or lifting will lead to injury. Combining the two creates healthy, supple muscle groups that are less likely to be injured by strenuous activity, like lifting and carrying, Synder reported. Teaching a range of motion through different exercises decreases injuries out in the field.
Hickey explained how the instructors start with the proper mechanics of each movement and demonstrate functionality. 鈥淪o if we鈥檙e going to do wall ball squats, I relate to them how the squat carries over into your daily routine, picking up the stretcher or picking up patient, or just the green bag or anything that we do. If we do step ups, it鈥檚 just like stepping into a truck ... whatever it is that it relates to in the daily life,鈥� she said.
鈥淲e push them as much as they can, so they can do the job properly without getting hurt,鈥� Snyder said. 鈥淏ecause that鈥檚 the most important part ... so once you get to the street, you don鈥檛 hurt yourself, your partner or your patient.鈥�
4. Incorporate yoga and holistic approaches to improve performance
According to Snyder, the team has noticed that members who continue to join the fitness classes have tackled issues with substance abuse and depression, in addition to looking and feeling better. In addition, they鈥檝e noticed an increase in performance level, something she attributes, in part, to incorporating stretching and yoga into fitness programs.
鈥淲hen you鈥檙e able to clear your head and move your body in a way to increase endorphins and cannabinoids in your body to make you just feel better overall, you end up performing better also in the field,鈥� she said. 鈥淪o, you leave your job feeling better, and then you also perform better as well. You make better decisions. You make less mistakes than you do when you鈥檙e stressed.鈥�
Snyder believes if every single first responder department focused on holistic, physical and mental wellness, it would result in a huge increase in overall health and resiliency, helping members to keep their relationships healthier and to be stronger and able to stay on the job longer.
5. Foster camaraderie to create a psychologically healthy workplace
In addition to fitness classes, including barre and yoga, the group also organizes activities like races and even jewelry making. These classes have resulted in a growing camaraderie. Hickey noted the classes help form bonds between new and tenured providers. 鈥淓veryone finds someone they can relate to,鈥� she noted.
And those bonds are not limited to members. Boston EMS has opened up classes to members鈥� family members as well. Pandemic stress wasn鈥檛 just impacting members, Hickey noted. It was also impacting their families, and this provided a way for providers to spend time with their loved ones, even when working overtime.
Spouses, significant others, even children who could follow along can come to the classes and meet the people their provider works with, and the rest of the members could meet the people they were going home to. It builds a family, Hickey said.
Snyder noted the fitness classes often begin a few minutes late as member chat about what they鈥檝e experienced at work as people arrive. What could, in the wrong environment, turn into a toxic conversation about coworkers, in these cases gives people the space to talk about a difficult call and decompress with others who understand.
Treat your people right
When asked, 鈥渨hat is your challenge to EMS leaders?鈥� Calter was clear: 鈥淢ake the investment.鈥�
He noted it鈥檚 not realistic to believe there鈥檚 not a need for health and wellness initiatives, and that members are doing OK after the last 2 years. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not the case,鈥� he said. 鈥淔olks are struggling. Mental health is the silent killer of our profession and to take it out of the darkness 鈥� the stigmatization of it 鈥� you need to put it in the forefront of how you lead and how you grow and how you train.鈥�
鈥淵our folks are going to fight how they train, and it鈥檚 important for them to know that from Day 1, when they鈥檙e being onboarded, that this is not something that we hide behind,鈥� Calter stressed. 鈥淲e don鈥檛 hide mental health, we don鈥檛 hide struggles, although it鈥檚 confidential, you know we鈥檙e going to treat this and we鈥檙e going to treat it right, and we鈥檙e going to treat you right.鈥�
Make it your legacy to improve the wellness of your people, Calter advised. 鈥淢ake the investment in your folks, you know, it鈥檚 probably the best thing you will do.鈥�
[Fill out the form on this page to download a tip sheet for starting a health and wellness program]
