New council to support efforts to improve employee and medical staff well-being

Yale New Haven Health has launched a Wellness, Engagement and Experience and Leadership Development (WELD) Council to oversee efforts to support employee and medical staff well-being.

The council is co-chaired by Stephanie Sudikoff, MD, YNHHS director of Simulation and the SYN:APSE Center for Learning, Transformation and Innovation, and Javier Alvarado, MSW, YNHHS director of Social Work. They are working with partners across the health system to find innovative, engaging and enduring solutions to improve the well-being of our employees and medical staff who, like their peers nationwide, are experiencing unacceptable levels of stress and burnout.

WELD committees, which include employees and medical staff from various roles, departments and YNHHS delivery networks, help coordinate the many different programs throughout the health system and ensure they share best practices. Senior leaders from throughout YNHHS oversee different areas, including wellness, engagement and caregiver experience, along with leadership development.

“The issues of – and subsequent damage from – stress and burnout existed among caregivers long before COVID,” said Michael Ivy, MD, YNHHS deputy chief medical officer. “We now find ourselves in a crisis that has raised stress levels even higher. To succeed, we must work together, care for each other and leave no one behind.”