New Healthcare Heroes Trauma Recovery Programs Launched by Sierra Tucson to Support Mental Health of Healthcare Workers During COVID-19 Crisis
TUCSON, Ariz. (May 20, 2020) – The Healthcare Heroes Trauma Recovery program, a new mental health initiative designed to provide care for physicians, nurses and other frontline healthcare workers impacted by the stress of the COVID-19 pandemic, has been launched by behavioral health and addiction treatment center Sierra Tucson.
The new program offers residential trauma treatment for nurses, physicians, healthcare technicians, social workers, respiratory therapists, psychologists, hospital administrators and other professionals whose careers involve caring for others – especially during this current pandemic.
Sierra Tucson has launched three ‘Healthcare Heroes’ program tiers for healthcare providers on its 160-acre campus in the hills outside Tucson:
- A 5-day “Renew and Heal” option focused on promoting recovery and revitalization for healthcare workers;
- A 14-day “Trauma Intensive” program for healthcare workers whose mental health and overall functioning has been negatively impacted by stress due to the coronavirus pandemic; and
- A 30-day “Trauma Healing Program” is Sierra Tucson’s signature trauma program and is recommended for healthcare workers who may have had prior trauma and are now experiencing increased symptoms from their work dealing with the pandemic.
Integrative therapies available for healthcare workers dealing with trauma from the pandemic may include biofeedback, nervous system healing, eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR), equine-assisted therapy, trauma yoga, and small group discussions on grief and loss, vicarious trauma, and compassion fatigue.
“Even before the coronavirus pandemic, healthcare providers faced a heightened risk of trauma in the course of fulfilling their day-to-day responsibilities in hospitals and clinics,” says Jaime Vinck, MC, LPC, NCC, Group CEO for Sierra Tucson Group. “But now, we’ve seen tens of thousands of healthcare workers suffering from chronic stress, trauma, depression, grief, burnout, self-medication with alcohol and other drugs, insomnia – and even suicidal thoughts – as they bravely care for patients during this COVID-19 pandemic.”
Vinck notes that the COVID-19 crisis has forced healthcare workers to endure increased workloads, share the grief of patients and their loved ones, worry about their own exposure to the coronavirus and even fear for the possibility of infecting their own friends and family members with the virus.
“Healthcare workers have never faced mental health stressors like those inflicted by COVID-19 at this level before,” adds Vinck. “They are suffering compassion fatigue and vicarious trauma from all of the pain and grief they’re witnessing, combined with shame and moral injury – the soul-crushing impact of being unable to deliver comfort and health outcomes that they’ve been trained to provide.”
Note: The ‘Healthcare Heroes’ program is offering a complimentary teleassessment for any healthcare worker, conducted by a trauma healing counselor to determine the best individual treatment recommendation. To obtain that assessment, healthcare workers may contact Camille Drachman via email: Camille.drachmann@sierratucson.com or call: 800-842-4487.
For more information on Sierra Tucson’s Healthcare Heroes Trauma Recovery Program, visit: /programs/healthcare-heroes/ or call 800-842-4487.
About Sierra Tucson
For more than 37 years, Sierra Tucson’s longstanding legacy of clinical excellent and compassionate care has resulted in recovery for those struggling with substance use disorders, trauma-related issues, disordered eating, chronic pain, mood and anxiety disorders, and co-occurring disorders. Internationally renowned for its innovative approach to behavioral and mental health treatment, Sierra Tucson combines integrative and experiential therapies with evidence-based practices to provide a full range of treatment methods. Visit:
