Joy Among Chaos – Ohio Academy of Family Physicians

As family physicians, you are the frontlines of this global pandemic. You are the true heroes. You are serving as a spark in turmoil and risking yourselves so much for your patients, your community, and your family. We see you. We appreciate you. We thank you.

We know that your unique ability to adapt, think on your toes, and remain flexible in such uncertain times will be the catalyst for change our healthcare world needs and we stand with you!

It will take some time to get there. So, while we collectively navigate the challenges arising in our world at the moment, the Ohio Academy of Family Physicians has created this webpage to provide some “joy among the chaos.”

In hopes that it may be helpful to you, below are links to wellness resources, positive stories and articles, and free educational materials. You can bookmark this page and return to it in the coming days and weeks whenever you need a reminder of the good or a self-check on your well-being and self-care practices.

While you care for us, let us help care for you.

Wellness Resources

OAFP Wellness Wednesdays Archive: A compilation of 45-minute videos with topics ranging from mindfulness, meditation, and gratitude to emotional energy through physician exercise and tools for overcoming burnout.
OAFP Professional Wellness page: Articles, videos, and other wellness resources.
Building Better Mental Health: Looking to boost your mood, handle your emotions better, or build resilience? These 6 life-changing strategies can show you how.
COVID-19 Physician Well-Being: Assess your well-being anonymously, develop a plan that meets your well-being goals, explore a vast collection of resources, and receive support as you build positive well-being habits.
Mental Health First Aid: Articles available that are specific to COVID-19 and mental health; relevant for any reader – physician, family, patient, or friend.
Physician Health First: An American Academy of Family Physicians’ interactive web portal with a wealth of well-being resources for Academy members.
Inner Engineering Online: A free (just enter $0 in the payment section) program to help support the well-being of healthcare providers to improve physical health, enhance mental stability, and promote spiritual well-being.
Resources for Supporting Children’s Emotional Well-Being during the COVID-19 Pandemic
Virtual Writing Workshops: The New Directions in Writing program of the Washington Baltimore Center for Psychoanalysis is offering free video writing workshops to help those dealing with the stress and trauma this past year has entailed.

Free Wellness Education

Academic Leadership Lessons on the Front Line of COVID-19: A podcast series from the Society of Teachers of Family Medicine exploring COVID-19 pandemic experiences through the eyes of some of family medicine’s most influential leaders. The in-depth interviews provide insight into pivotal experiences that boosted leadership skills and provided unprecedented opportunities for personal growth.
Bite-Sized Learning: Hosted by the OAFP, these mildly-moderated and archived learning sessions are held on Sunday evenings at 8 p.m. (as we have speakers and topics). Members can join the conversation by logging on to the OAFP Facebook page to watch live. We open with a brief welcome and then turn it over to the moderator and member presenter. Following the interview, we open it up for questions and answer through Facebook comments before signing off. The sessions are an hour or less!
Headspace: An app that teaches you how to meditate. Headspace is offering free access to Headspace Plus for all U.S. healthcare professionals working in public health settings during the crisis.
Ohio Physician Wellness Coalition Continuing Medical Education (CME) Webinars: A series of six videos focused on addressing physician burnout. Each video is approved for CME credit.
Summer Series: Physician Well-Being: Free, virtual gatherings from the Ohio State Medical Association on topics to help you prioritize YOUR well-being and staying passionate about your profession and purpose.
Ten Percent Happier: Another mindfulness and mediation app. The site also has a free sanity guide and is offering free access to the app for healthcare professionals.
The Awake Network: Free 0nline meditation resources for times of social distancing/COVID-19.

Voices in Humanism

The Voices in Humanism initiative is a collaboration between The Ohio State University (OSU) College of Medicine’s Gold Humanism Honor Society Resident Chapter and the OSU Medical Heritage Center. The mission is to collect, preserve and share the arts created during this challenging time.

The OAFP is partnering in this initiative by highlighting pieces of work each week in the Weekly Family Medicine Update, as well as on this webpage.

Students, residents, faculty, staff, alumni, and all members of the healthcare family may submit all forms of visual arts, writing, and music to the collection. If you would like to contribute to this collection and share your own piece of work that reflects thoughts during this time of dual pandemics as we struggle to understand the impact on our patients, their families, our communities, our profession and ourselves, we encourage you to do so by contacting Linda Stone, MD, FAAFP.

To view the growing collection, visit the Voices of Humanism webpage.

Financial support for this program is provided by the AAFP Foundation Philanthropic Consortium (FMPC) which is funded by members like you! Help programs like this continue to support family medicine by giving to the FMPC. Select “Chapter Grants” when making your gift online. Thank you!

Good Reads

An Interfaith Homily: Choose Joy by Doug Collins, MD
It Has Been an Honor to Serve (Leader Voices Blog, October 13, 2020)
Family Doc Focus
COVID-19 and the Burden of Secondary Grief (Fresh Perspectives, October 1, 2020)
Family Physicians are Courageous Heroes: A letter to the editor written by OAFP Executive Vice President Ann Spicer
Quotes from the Edge of Nowhere – The Art of Noticing Unnoticed Life Wisdoms: Excerpts from this book written by AAFP President and OAFP Past President Gary LeRoy, MD, FAAFP
AAFP Blogs
KevinMD Blog

Ohio Member Stories

First Cleveland Hero Meals Delivered (Project Frontline, April 9, 2020)
The Couple and Conversation behind Battelle’s Mask Sterilization Technology (10TV, April 3, 2020)
Sick With Coronavirus, an Ohio Doctor Soldiers On (National Association of Community Health Centers, April 2)
Heritage College Students to Lend a Hand in Fighting Pandemic (Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine, April 2)
Message from a Frontline Family Physician (Weekly Family Medicine Update, March 31, 2020)

Stay in the Loop
Below are links to COVID-19 update pages of organizations relevant to family physician, family medicine residents, and medical students on training and certification processes: