Supporting Our Caregivers: The Buddy Program

The COVID-19 pandemic has been the most stressful medical crisis for health care workers in recent history, and has pushed many clinicians to the limits of their resilience. Yale School of Medicine, Yale Medicine, and Yale New Haven Health have mobilized the resources of our community to support health care workers with a wide array of programs and services to provide support and assistance as they cope with the ongoing stress and emotional toll of the last few months.

The article below, part of a series of stories providing information on these important programs, focuses on the Buddy Program, in which employees with similar roles pair up and look out for one another on a daily basis.

In the military, where soldiers face acute stress, trauma, and life-and-death situations, everyone is assigned a “buddy” to check in with on a daily basis. The idea is that buddies look out for one another and seek help if one of them is struggling.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, health care workers have found themselves grappling with many of the same issues—stress, trauma, life and death. So Javier Alvarado--director of social work for the Yale New Haven Health System and a soldier in the Army National Guard for 29 years, with two deployments to Iraq—thought a Buddy Program adapted from the military version could be an important tool for clinicians.

“The Buddy Program is all about connection—one person looking out for another person,” Alvarado says. “That kind of connection is important under normal circumstances, but it is critical during a crisis.”

The Buddy Program involves the pairing of two individuals who have similar roles in order to support and care for each other in complex environments and in times of crisis. Buddies monitor and help each other promote physical, emotional, and psychological well-being.

All employees of Yale Medicine and Yale New Haven Health—including administrators and leadership—are encouraged to find a buddy and check in with them daily. Each person should see how their buddy is doing with important issues like sleep, nutrition, exercise, work-life balance, and emotional well-being.

Buddies should also look out for red flags, such as increased use of alcohol, withdrawal or isolation, irritability, broken relationships, sleep problems, or feelings of hopelessness. If you feel that your buddy is struggling, you should recommend that he or she seek out additional support services, such as one-on-one consultations with a professional support provider or Yale University’s Employee Assistance Program. For a complete list of resources, visit the Care for the Caregivers website.

Ideally, the Buddy Program should be ongoing, regardless of whether or not there is a crisis, Alvarado says. The values of the program—such as accountability, compassion, and fostering resilience—are in alignment with the values of YM and YNHHS, and “hopefully it will become part of the fabric of the organization(s),” he says.

Alvarado has heard from many people who have benefitted from the Buddy Program during the pandemic. One such testimonial was sent to him by Melissa Olinger, LCSW, a clinical social worker in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Yale New Haven Hospital. Olinger, who began her job in December 2019, regularly turned to her more experienced colleague, Gaby Dorval, LCSW, for advice and support during her first few months at YNHH. “Without knowing we were doing so, we began implementing the buddy system early on,” Olinger says. When the pandemic hit, they added a third buddy to the group, Ashlyn Berich, LCSW, and they have provided consistent support to each other through group messages and video chats. “I am so grateful for my buddies and hope to continue carrying on this open line of communication and support,” Olinger said.

For more information on the Buddy Program, call 203.688.1855 or contact Alvarado at javier.alvarado@ynhh.org.

Previous Articles About Support Services for Caregivers

Stress and Resilience Town Halls (June 30, 2020)

Self-Assessment Survey: How High is Your Stress Level? (June 17, 2020)

One-0n-One Consultations with Professional Support Providers (June 3, 2020)