Temple University Hospital’s Episcopal Campus held an event to promote employee mental health awareness, aligning with the global R U OK?Day initiative. This event, inspired by an Australian nonprofit, encourages individuals to check in with one another and have honest conversations about their well-being.
The campus Nursing Council, led by Lois Scipione, MSN, NPD-BC, AVP of Nursing Education, Magnet & Professional Practice, organized the staff event after learning about R U OK?Day. Nurse Manager Marcus Appolon suggested collaborating with the hospital’s therapy team to create a positive experience for employees.
“You always hear, ‘You don’t know what somebody else is going through until you ask,’” said Nurse Manager Lisa Hummel.
On the day of the event, organizers and hospital leaders visited units across the campus to inform staff about R U OK?Day and invite them to participate in activities such as spinning prize wheels. The idea for the prize wheels came from Behavioral Health Therapist Alexandria “Lexi” Thomas-Muhammad.
“A lot of the work we do is about breaking the stigma around mental health and understanding the importance of support,” said Thomas-Muhammad. “That’s why I created prize wheels with a couple of different prompts. If the wheel landed on ‘Call,’ you had to call someone right on the spot and ask them if they were okay. If it landed on ‘Text,’ you had to do the same thing via text. If you accepted the challenge, you would get a prize and wear a big ‘Approved’ sticker. It was about asking us to dig deeper and connect with somebody on a deeper level.”
Thomas-Muhammad recounted one participant’s experience: “I had one employee who landed on ‘Call,’ and he put his phone on speaker and called his cousin,” she said. “After he talked to his cousin, the cousin said, ‘Wow, I really needed this.’ Just imagine if he hadn’t called. A simple check-in can do so much for anyone—on every day of the year, not just R U OK?Day.”
The response from staff was positive according to organizers.
“I saw so many people wearing their ‘Approved’ stickers, which was awesome,” said Nurse Manager Michelle Maag. “And I kept getting texts from coworkers throughout the day asking if I was okay.”
“We know a culture where we can have these kinds of conversations is so important, but we’re responsible for creating it,” added Thomas-Muhammad. “That’s why it’s great that everyone was so engaged. We’re also really lucky to have a leadership team that’s committed to building this kind of open culture.”
Briana Stinson, LCSW and Director of Therapeutic Programming at Episcopal Campus noted that resources are available through R U OK?Day’s founding nonprofit for those seeking guidance on follow-up questions or offering support when someone is struggling.
“Our staff do such critical work, especially around mental health,” Stinson said. “They do so much for our patients, and it’s just as important that they’re taking care of themselves.”
