Coping with Chaos for Mental Health Awareness Week

Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre celebrated Mental Health Awareness Week, an annual national event that takes place the first week of May. People from all walks of life are encouraged to learn, talk, reflect and engage with others on all issues relating to mental health. Acute mental health is one of our Hospital’s strategic priorities, and we recognize mental health as an integral part of overall health.

This year’s theme was “Coping with Chaos” and included free educational sessions for staff on areas surrounding stress management and burnout. “As health providers, we put so much focus into the health and wellbeing of our patients and families, that we can sometimes forget to take care of ourselves and our own mental health,” said Heather Kozak, Chair of the Hospital’s Mental Health Awareness Committee. “Working in a fast pace environment like a hospital can be stressful, so we decided to focus this year’s Mental Health Awareness Week efforts on our staff to encourage an open dialogue about mental health and coping strategies.”