May is Mental Health Awareness Month
By Heriberto Perez–Zuñiga
RIO GRANDE VALLEY, TEXAS – Caregivers dedicate their lives to helping and healing others. But who takes care of them when they need help?
To ensure its resident physicians get the care and support they need to maintain their mental well-being, the UTRGV School of Medicine has developed the Fortify Resilience Initiative (FRI), designed to provide them with mental health resources and help other academic medical institutions nationwide.
A study published in the Journal of Occupational Medicine and Toxicology shows the high-stress nature of the medical profession puts doctors at increased risk for burnout, depression and other mental health challenges.
So, the FRI program – part of the School of Medicine’s Graduate Medical Education (GME) programs – is designed to help combat the stigma of and concerns about professional repercussions that can prevent people in the health profession from seeking help.
“We often forget that doctors are regular people just like anyone else,” said Dr. Deepu George, associate professor of Primary and Community Care and director of Integrated Behavioral Health Services at the UTRGV School of Medicine.
“They need help, too, and making these services accessible to them is important. It’s a way to say that we care for them and their wellbeing.”
ENDING THE STIGMA
The stigma physicians often face (or even imagine they will face) when they seek mental healthcare leads many to avoid treatment.
“One of the pitfalls in the larger mental health system is that when physicians seek care, the provider on the other end often has no idea what that physician’s life is like,” George said. “That mismatch can create a disconnect, making it harder for doctors to get the help they need.”
FRI addresses those concerns by ensuring that all mental health services are physician-sensitive and tailored to the unique demands of medical training.
The initiative is divided into three drivers, with each focused on important aspect of physician well-being:
- ACCESS: Provides direct online clinical and coaching services, annual wellness check-ins, and monthly live online learning sessions.
- EMPOWERMENT: Establishes Program-Specific Wellness Subcommittees (PSWC) within the UTRGV School of Medicine’s residency programs to foster peer-led well-being efforts. An upcoming mobile application, slated for later this year, will allow residents to self-assess their well-being and receive personalized recommendations.
- SYSTEM REDESIGN: Focuses on training faculty and key staff in well-being methodologies to create a more supportive institutional culture.
FACILITATING ACCESS
To expand access to those services, the UTRGV School of Medicine has partnered with Tend Health, a service that specializes in confidential mental health support for physicians.
Tend Health prioritizes accessibility and specializes in a “low-friction” access model that removes common barriers to care.
Physician residents can easily connect with Tend Health by scanning a QR code or by visiting the Tend Health website and scheduling an appointment, typically available within 24 to 48 hours.
Appointments are offered after hours and on weekends, ensuring that even residents with demanding schedules can access care when needed.
Tend Health also has provided valuable online learning sessions every month. The sessions feature a clinical psychologist from Tend Health who covers a range of important topics, including unpacking COVID-19 as a caregiver, practicing self-compassion, recognizing symptoms of burnout, depression and substance use, and applying mindfulness in clinical practice.
“Tend Health has been an amazing partner,” George said. “They provide mental health and coaching support exclusively for physicians. Every provider they employ has worked in a medical education environment.
“That means when a resident says, ‘I’m coming off a night shift, and my ‘CCC’ (clinical competency review committee) is coming up,’ the provider already knows what that means. That level of understanding makes a huge difference.”
HEALTHIER HEALTHCARE
Lupita Hernandez, director of Special Programs at the UTRGV School of Medicine, said the Fortify Resilience Initiative is helping create “a healthier healthcare culture” by ensuring that physician residents have the support they need to manage the demands of their profession.
“Before this program, there were unfortunately no dedicated mental health resources for our residents, fellows, or clinical faculty,” Hernandez said. “The Fortify Resilience Initiative provides residents with a safe space to seek support through counseling or wellness check-ins.
“It helps normalize the conversation around physician mental health and ensures our residents don’t have to navigate these challenges alone,” she said.
The program will launch a mobile application later this year to provide residents with an easy way to monitor their well-being and access support. The app will offer self-assessments, personalized well-being recommendations, and direct access to mental health resources.
“It allows residents to track their well-being,” George said. “We believe that the more you check in on your well-being, the better recommendations we can provide to help maintain and strengthen it. Our vision is that this mobile application can become a real solution for supporting physician mental health.”
CARING FOR CAREGIVERS
FRI, funded by a $1.75 million grant from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), is already showing positive results for the UTRGV School of Medicine’s residency programs, including Internal Medicine, Family Medicine and Surgery.
All residents receive access to mental health services upon joining the program, with resources available at any time.
Dr. Monica Perez, research associate at the UTRGV School of Medicine, is currently leading a research study evaluating the impact of the Fortify Resilience Initiative on medical residents.
The team hopes to present the results to the community through presentations and scientific literature publications.
George said the goal is not just to care for caregivers and help physicians when they’re struggling, but to create a culture where mental health is prioritized from the start.
“We hope to continue growing this program and making it a model for other institutions nationwide,” he said. “Physician well-being is not just about the individual. It’s about ensuring better care for the patients and communities we serve.”
For more information on the Fortify Resilience Initiative program, visit the UTRGV School of Medicine’s Graduate Medical Education website.