The very nature of medical work means that most staff, periodically or consistently, encounter crisis situations. Even outside of unique times such as a pandemic, they are forced to make difficult decisions, deal with patient death and process trauma. Plus, the nationwide shortage of doctors and nurses adds additional stress to staff within departments that are operating at less than full capacity.
Since caring for our healthcare professionals is a cause close to our hearts, Gundersen Medical Foundation is proud to help fund “Tea for the Soul.” This initiative, proposed by Gundersen Health System’s Spiritual Care and Clinical Pastoral Education departments, expands the traditional role of spiritual care to recognize and respond to the challenges of daily work rather than primarily focusing on times of crisis.
“The Foundation’s support for this initiative has allowed us
to bless our caregivers by making more frequent deposits of gratitude into their emotional bank. We convey to staff that they are valued, recognized and loved—both by Gundersen and by the community—and that is powerful.” –Rev. Christian Ricker, BCC
“The Foundation’s support for this initiative has allowed us to bless our caregivers by making more frequent deposits of gratitude into their emotional bank,” explains Rev. Christian Ricker, BCC. “We convey to staff that they are valued, recognized and loved—both by Gundersen and by the community—and that is powerful.”
A New Approach to Spiritual Care
Currently, nine chaplains and several residents make up Gundersen’s Spiritual Care and Clinical Pastoral Education departments. While they provide bedside support to patients and families, including hospice support and education in advance directives, the faculty are also traditionally called upon to help both patients and staff during times of medical crisis.
In the past, though, much of the spiritual care that was provided to staff came during peer support meetings called “Code Lavender.” These interventions are typically held following a particularly stressful or traumatic event because they can help staff process the crisis and begin to heal.
In January 2023, however, Sister Philomena Adah, FSPA, was the Spiritual Care team member assigned to the fifth floor of the hospital, which includes high-needs areas such as Pediatrics, the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) and prenatal intensive care unit (PICU).
Like other members of the Spiritual Care Team, Sr. Philomena was on hand to help staff during times of crisis. However, she began to recognize that the ongoing demands of their work (further complicated by the additional stress of working during a pandemic) meant that staff needed to feel loved and supported during all times, not just when something went wrong.
Adopting a model used at other institutions, Sr. Philomena began visiting the unit more often, bringing with her a cart full of care items, snacks and beverages—including tea—to share with staff. The conversations that sprang up around the cart sparked connections and allowed Sr. Philomena to provide both physical and spiritual nourishment, which is why these visits are referred to as “Tea for the Soul.”
Chaplain Resident Brian Petry, currently assigned to the fifth floor, finds a great deal of value in the Tea for the Soul initiative. “As a resident, I am a new face, so it allows me to develop relationships naturally. I am connecting with the team, creating a communal atmosphere, before there is a problem,” he says. “Spiritual care becomes a long game, not a Band-Aid.”
The new approach was so successful that between 2023 and 2024, the Spiritual Care Department applied for several grants from the Foundation to expand the program beyond the hospital’s fifth floor to other high-needs areas such as the Cancer Center, Medical Specialty unit, Onalaska Renal Dialysis Center and Gundersen’s Critical Care Hospitals.
Honoring Relationships
Staff who work in the Cancer Center often develop close relationships with patients because of the prolonged nature of their illness. These relationships are an important part of providing compassionate care, but they can also result in grief.
“The staff and clinicians, especially those who frequently encounter patient mortality, grieve the loss of their patients. Without an outlet to do so appropriately, they risk burnout and further trauma,” says Theresa Hueker, program coordinator for Clinical Pastoral Education. “Left unresolved, this kind of moral injury can have negative consequences on mental and physical health.”
This knowledge led Chaplain Sam Schauvaney, who provides spiritual care to the patients and staff in the Cancer Center, to request a grant from the Foundation to apply the Tea for the Soul model. In addition to the cart of snacks and self-care items that helps her connect with staff on periodic visits, Chaplain Schauvaney uses scheduled mindfulness and de-stressing activities to help promote self-care among the staff.
“These opportunities for spiritual care not only help staff heal from trauma,” she says, “they also foster a sense of community and strengthen resiliency.”
Chaplain Schauvaney also conducts group discussions and processing sessions. One of the most healing activities, though, is a monthly patient remembrance event. Using funds from the Foundation to purchase supplies, staff and clinicians in the Cancer Center create and decorate a wreath to honor each patient who has passed away.
“The process of sharing stories while decorating the wreath helps us celebrate the patient, process grief, and above all, honor the relationship that was cultivated,” says Chaplain Schauvaney. “These moments are only possible because of the community’s support of the Foundation.
Expanding Staff Support
Most recently, this new model of spiritual care has been expanded to include two other areas within Gundersen: the Medical Specialty unit (where the program is called “Bounce Back”) and at Critical Access Hospitals (where the program is called “Zen Den”).
Since patients in the Medical Specialty unit of the hospital have often been diagnosed with co-morbid medical conditions (like kidney disease, pancreatitis or cellulitis) or acute behavioral conditions (such as schizophrenia, major depression, anxiety or addiction), these patients require special care. Some Behavioral Health patients may be at risk for suicide or on a Chapter hold, which are situations that sometimes cause patients to become aggressive towards staff.
According to Chaplain Ricker, the degree of challenge faced by the medical staff on this unit makes spiritual care essential. “This model of care elevates the human story and emphasizes the value of relationships,” he says. “We are replacing the cycle of fatigue and burnout with a cycle of love and support by being humans caring for other humans.”
As with most large organizations that have several campuses, it can be difficult to make all parts of the organization feel connected. Such was the case for Gundersen’s Critical Access Hospitals—especially during COVID.
However, by using the Tea for the Soul model and making monthly visits, Lead Chaplain Megan Pike was able to start conversations and collaborations that improve feelings of connectedness to the system and promote self-care in staff by creating a program called “Zen Den.”
Zen Den is a model of support in which staff are invited to take time away from their work area to refresh, renew and relax. Chaplain Pike transforms a space, typically a conference room in the Critical Access Hospital or Onalaska Renal Dialysis Center, that welcomes staff and provides stations where staff can experiment with various zen-inspiring activities.
Recently, staff have been able to participate in make-and-take activities such as creating zen gardens, making their own glitter gazer calming bottle or enjoying a DIY trail mix station. “In contrast to Tea for the Soul, where the support is taken to the staff in their work environment, the Zen Den experience allows staff to take time away from their work stations to enter into a space of intentional recentering,” says Chaplain Pike.
Given the success of these spiritual care initiatives, Chaplain Ricker hopes that the model may be expanded to include other areas of the organization in the future. For now, though, he is grateful to the many Foundation donors whose support made these successes possible.
“Together, we have been able to seize and create opportunities for staff care that have been curated and created for location and particular staff needs within the health system,” he says. “Whether staff are feeling grief, stress, anxiety, are unable to relax or wondering how to make sense of a situation, we want to assure them that they do not have to carry the weight alone.”