The “coronacrisis” has brought into greater public awareness the increased risk of mental distress, anguish and suicidality among healthcare workers. Medical society leaders have the opportunity to help prevent physician and trainee suicides through programming, messaging, influence, and friendships. We will discuss reasons physicians are at greater risk, messaging that can be targeted towards them to defeat hopelessness, and models of intervention and prevention that have worked in various places.
Steven Reames is the director of Ada County Medical Society in Boise Idaho where he's worked for the past five years. During this time, he has helped focus his physician member association on physician well-being and healthcare systems change. He speaks routinely on related topics such as burnout, compassion fatigue, reslience and boundaries. He is an active member of AAMSE, serving on the Trends Report committee and county society committee. Last year he was a co-recipient of an AAMSE Profiles of Excellence award for his work on the LifeBridge Physician Wellness Program toolkit.