Patient care is the top priority at LA Health Services, and so is caring for our workforce. When the workforce is healthy and well, there is a direct correlation to the quality of care, overall health outcomes, and experiences of patients and communities in which they live and thrive.

LA Health Services is honored and excited to announce the appointment of the inaugural Chief Wellness Officer, Charmaine Dorsey. The Wellness team will work alongside the Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Anti-Racism (EDIA) initiative to build a caring culture, that is equitable and accessible to every person in LA Health Services, in each role and across all shifts. Equity in wellness recognizes that people living and working in different contexts and environments have different experiences and that solutions should honor and respond to those differences.

The U.S. Surgeon General’s Framework for Workforce Mental Health and Well-Being will be utilized to highlight and align what has been observed from the transparent and impactful feedback in the Staff Engagement Survey. The Five Essential components of the framework include Protection from Harm, Connection and Community, Work-Life Harmony, Mattering at Work, and Opportunity for Growth (See Diagram).

So, what’s next? Several new positions will be hired including five Wellness Psychologists, to help support this priority across LA Health Services. Additionally, the information shared in the Engagement Surveys will be analyzed to identify gaps and opportunities aligned with the Wellness Framework to develop initial priorities and closed-loop feedback to workforce members. A system-wide Wellness Council will be established with stakeholders representing diverse roles and voices to support the implementation, evaluation, sustainability, and optimization of the Wellness priority. Look out for the Employee Engagement Survey in the Fall. Your input is needed for future planning purposes.