Rush Wellness

Building a Resilient Health Care Organization

Rush Wellness is driven by the philosophy that quality patient care is directly tied to the well-being of our providers, students and staff. At a time when health care professionals around the country are suffering from unprecedented levels of anxiety, depression and burnout, Rush Wellness is creating highly innovative, evidence-based solutions that are positively impacting our community and the future of health care.

Center for Clinical Wellness

The Center for Clinical Wellness is a healing environment designed for and tailored to Rush employees, students and house staff. Made possible by a generous gift, this flagship program will seek to address three primary goals:

Creation of a culture of wellness, including programs to address burnout, support resilience and increase joy in work.
Increased support for mental health, including access to care, reduction in stigma and strategic partnerships to prevent suicide.
Production of leading research through an emphasis on data and analytics.

Services

The Center for Clinical Wellness provides a network of on-site and virtual resources, including free counseling, coaching and other wellness-oriented services. Services are available Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. both via telehealth and in-person.

Center for Clinical Wellness Overview

The Center for Clinical Wellness provides Rush employees, students and house staff with an environment and resources that support their well-being.

Testimonials

This was the first time I had an appointment with my counselor in person. The space was nice and welcoming. The environment and appointment were excellent at creating a safe space and a calming feeling. I also feel the same way via telehealth appointments, but it was nice to experience this kind of space in the Rush campus.

Testimonials

In our counseling appointment, my counselor addressed exactly what I wanted to talk about and provided many options to cope with stress. I appreciated her starting with a meditation exercise that I have used since our session. She was especially kind and encouraging. I appreciated her depth of knowledge and perspective. She brought up resources I could use after the session. I look forward to working with her again!

Testimonials

My counselor has been extremely helpful to me. She is an exceptional listener and validates the way I am feeling and the important decisions on my mind. She is encouraging and supportive and provides the perfect outlet which I needed at the time of my counseling. I will certainly return to her if I need additional help and would recommend her to any student or staff who is thinking about counseling.

Wellness Programs

In addition to direct support for Rush staff and students, the Center for Clinical Wellness offers a variety of events, resources and tools, including:

Well-Being Index: Use this clinically validated tool to better understand your well-being and access tools to support you.
Mental Health Forums: Join discussions about mental health to raise awareness and support for well-being.
Wellness Workshops and Talks: Engage with your colleagues on wellness-related issues.
Online Learning Modules: Learn how to incorporate wellness into your daily life both at work and at home.
Rooftop Yoga: Stretch out on Rush’s rooftop with your colleagues in a weekly course led by certified instructors.
Mindfulness Training: Develop your mindfulness practice through a formal curriculum with certified instructors.

Rush Wellness Week

Wellness Week is a week of events at Rush, including yoga, massages and speakers, aimed at supporting physical, mental and emotional wellbeing.

COVID-19 Response

Rush has been uniquely organized and innovative during the COVID-19 pandemic. A critical element to Rush’s success was a strong focus on employee wellness. Rush developed direct, proactive and empathic strategies to promote ongoing staff well-being. These interventions received national support as a best practice by the American Medical Association and the New England Journal of Medicine.

A wellness toolkit for health systems

View our COVID-19 Wellness Toolkit

Early in Rush’s evolving response to the COVID-19 pandemic, a multidisciplinary Wellness Task Force was created to coordinate the institution’s efforts. Based on the collective expertise of an interdisciplinary team of psychiatrists, psychologists, psychiatric nurse liaisons, licensed clinical social workers and chaplains, four evidence-based mitigation tactics were implemented, which we believe all health care organizations should incorporate into their crisis response. These interventions work to preserve the emotional and physical well-being of front line employees during the COVID-19 crisis.

Self Care Video Series

Wellness is a journey. While this journey is different for everyone, we can all benefit from a little help along the way. Featuring experts from across the Rush community, our self care video series provides recommendations to support well-being during the pandemic.