Other Titles
Rapid Presentation Round
Abstract
Background: Safety net clinic staff are essential for delivering quality care in underserved communities. Despite their critical role, there is a paucity of research on targeted approaches to managing high levels of burnout during the Covid-19 pandemic (Alvarez et al., 2022). Unlike independent practitioners (MDs, APRNs, etc.), safety net staff often hail from the communities they serve and experience similar negative Social Determinants of Health (food and housing insecurity and legal issues) that compromise the wellbeing of their patient population (Martinez-Hollingsworth et al., 202; Bodenheimer & Sinsky, 2014). Despite their essential role in public health, there is limited information on wellbeing preferences and needs for support among safety net staff.
Purpose: To address negative Social Determinants of Health among safety net clinic staff following an assessment that indicated the underuse of available free or low-cost resources they qualify for and regularly recommend to their patients. This project was part of a larger, HRSA-funded Behavioral Health Workforce program (HRSA 22-109).
Method: This project (June-July 2022) was done in a safety net clinic system in a predominantly Latinx Health Care Provider Shortage Area in the Western U.S. An art-based assessment with clinic staff (n=25) was used to determine well-being resource preferences and deficits. Images were thematically coded; project staff clarified emergent categories through 1:1 conversations with clinic administrators. These talks revealed that staff might not use the resources they provide to their patients despite qualifying for these services. To support improved uptake, our team sought to rebrand these resources by reintroducing them to the staff as part of a resource magazine. This project was informed by Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs model (McLeod, 2018), in that when foundational needs are not met (such as a need for safety or physiological needs for food, shelter, etc.), there is a limited ability to use resources that target higher needs (like Love & Belonging and Self-Actualization).
Results: We identified six (6) critical resource needs areas: food security, childcare, rental assistance, family planning, immigration services, and domestic violence. Our team designed a resource magazine that included this info intermixed with neutral content, such as summer drink recipes. We disseminated this magazine at two (2) on-site staff events within the system. All fourteen participants (n=14) of the in-service event took a resource magazine showing 100% utilization of this intervention.
Conclusion: Current approaches to wellness promotion for healthcare workers and staff often focus on the self-esteem and self-actualization portion of Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, overlooking the more immediate needs of low-wage workers in community clinic settings. Creating a magazine is a novel and engaging way to disseminate information to providers who are aware of resources but have low utilization rates. Further studies may explore why safety net clinic workers are unwilling to engage in wellness activities and utilize the resources they promote. Future iterations of this work may quantify its efficacy and inform generalizability for use in other community clinic settings.
Notes
This presentation was accepted as a poster. The format was modified to a brief presentation to accommodate the hybrid in-person/virtual event.
Sigma Membership
Nu Xi at-Large
Type
Presentation
Format Type
Text-based Document, Video Recording
Study Design/Type
Other
Research Approach
Other
Keywords:
Safety Net Staff, Social Determinants of Health, Well-being
Recommended Citation
Caffe, Isadora; Fong, Elissa; Edwards, Kiersten; and Martinez-Hollingsworth, Adrienne S., "Promoting Resources Among Safety-Net Clinic Staff to Address Social Determinates of Health and Improve Wellbeing" (2025). Creating Healthy Work Environments (CHWE). 18.
https://www.sigmarepository.org/chwe/2023/presentations_2023/18
Conference Name
Creating Healthy Work Environments
Conference Host
Sigma Theta Tau International
Conference Location
Austin, Texas, USA and Virtual
Conference Year
2023
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Rights Holder
All rights reserved by the author(s) and/or publisher(s) listed in this item record unless relinquished in whole or part by a rights notation or a Creative Commons License present in this item record.
Review Type
Abstract Review Only: Reviewed by Event Host
Acquisition
Proxy-submission
Promoting Resources Among Safety-Net Clinic Staff to Address Social Determinates of Health and Improve Wellbeing
Austin, Texas, USA and Virtual
Background: Safety net clinic staff are essential for delivering quality care in underserved communities. Despite their critical role, there is a paucity of research on targeted approaches to managing high levels of burnout during the Covid-19 pandemic (Alvarez et al., 2022). Unlike independent practitioners (MDs, APRNs, etc.), safety net staff often hail from the communities they serve and experience similar negative Social Determinants of Health (food and housing insecurity and legal issues) that compromise the wellbeing of their patient population (Martinez-Hollingsworth et al., 202; Bodenheimer & Sinsky, 2014). Despite their essential role in public health, there is limited information on wellbeing preferences and needs for support among safety net staff.
Purpose: To address negative Social Determinants of Health among safety net clinic staff following an assessment that indicated the underuse of available free or low-cost resources they qualify for and regularly recommend to their patients. This project was part of a larger, HRSA-funded Behavioral Health Workforce program (HRSA 22-109).
Method: This project (June-July 2022) was done in a safety net clinic system in a predominantly Latinx Health Care Provider Shortage Area in the Western U.S. An art-based assessment with clinic staff (n=25) was used to determine well-being resource preferences and deficits. Images were thematically coded; project staff clarified emergent categories through 1:1 conversations with clinic administrators. These talks revealed that staff might not use the resources they provide to their patients despite qualifying for these services. To support improved uptake, our team sought to rebrand these resources by reintroducing them to the staff as part of a resource magazine. This project was informed by Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs model (McLeod, 2018), in that when foundational needs are not met (such as a need for safety or physiological needs for food, shelter, etc.), there is a limited ability to use resources that target higher needs (like Love & Belonging and Self-Actualization).
Results: We identified six (6) critical resource needs areas: food security, childcare, rental assistance, family planning, immigration services, and domestic violence. Our team designed a resource magazine that included this info intermixed with neutral content, such as summer drink recipes. We disseminated this magazine at two (2) on-site staff events within the system. All fourteen participants (n=14) of the in-service event took a resource magazine showing 100% utilization of this intervention.
Conclusion: Current approaches to wellness promotion for healthcare workers and staff often focus on the self-esteem and self-actualization portion of Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, overlooking the more immediate needs of low-wage workers in community clinic settings. Creating a magazine is a novel and engaging way to disseminate information to providers who are aware of resources but have low utilization rates. Further studies may explore why safety net clinic workers are unwilling to engage in wellness activities and utilize the resources they promote. Future iterations of this work may quantify its efficacy and inform generalizability for use in other community clinic settings.
Description
Summary: Our team used an art-based assessment and theoretical sampling to assess the well-being needs of safety-net clinic staff. We used the collected data to address negative social determinants of health and improve the well-being of clinic staff by creating and disseminating a resource magazine.
Target Audience: Academic, Leaders, and Researchers
Themes: Academic, Stress and Coping
Research Subjects: Non-nurses