Track your wellbeing and distress. The index concludes with resources tailored to meet your individual needs. 

Now, as of March 19, all UAB Medicine employees (clinical and non-clinical faculty, staff, APPs, nurses) and medical students have access. Access the index here. You will login with your BlazerID.

Results are confidential and can be viewed in aggregate only and only when there are at least 5 respondents in a particular category.

The EACC is active and an available resource even currently. They are providing HIPAA-compliant distance counseling and teleheath sessions. Find more information here.

Let us know what we can do to help during the COVID-19 pandemic by taking the survey at the link below.

How can we bring light into the darkness? 
How can we demonstrate love?

There is no “right” way to answer these questions, and they deserve reflection. One way to begin to respond is with empathy and kindness. Empathy, the ability to understand and share the feelings of another, is increased with perceived similarity. It also increases with practice. Thinking about how someone is similar to you and wishing that he or she is healthy and happy are ways to intentionally alter how we think and, in turn, how we feel. Acts of kindness also increase empathy, not just the other way around. When we ask ourselves, “Is this kind?” or, “Is this loving?” before we speak or act, we will find that our actions are more likely to reflect the ideals we want to see in the world. 

Resources for Parents and Families

Pandemic Parenting: Tips from a pediatrician and mother

Continuing education: how to successfully teach your kids from home

How to talk to your child about COVID-19

American Academy of Pediatrics-Parent Tips and Resources for Dealing with COVID-19

11 Self-Care Tips for Teens and Young Adults

Coronavirus Q&A - For Kids!

Additional Education Resources

• Stay Home Science from the McWane Science Center

• The Hidden Worlds of the National Parks

• Child Mind Institute - Supporting Families During COVID-19

• Imagineering in a Box from Disney

• Kennedy Space Center Free Online Activities

• BrainPop Apps
  

• Monterey Bay Aquarium live cameras: Watch all kinds of sea creatures in their habitats

• Google Arts & Culture is offering Virtual Tours of national and global landmarks and cultural treasures!!

Communication Resources

VitalTalk Tips on communicating about Coronavirus.

Childcare Resources

UAB is offering free and subsidized childcare options for employees who need to be at work during this time when schools and childcare centers are closed. Access this information at the links below.

Emergency Childcare Options for UAB Medicine Faculty & Staff

Childcare Reimbursement Request for Workgroup C

Free Childcare for Frontline Healthcare Workers-Bright Horizons at Bekare

Support Local Business

List of Birmingham Restaurants offering pick-up

Help local businesses survive the COVID-19 Pandemic

Bham Nom Nom list of Birmingham restaurants offering curbside and delivery

Check out the Exercise + Nutrition section for a list of local farms offering pick-up.

Healthcare Worker Discounts

Local and national discounts offered to healthcare workers

Workout from Home

Virtual URec: Virtual UAB University Recreation – Online resources to help you stay healthy, well and fit while you’re staying at home. 

UAB At Home Workout Contributed by Dr. Assimos

Peleton workouts now free for first 90 days. These are workouts for which you don’t need the bike or treadmill.

Beachbody On Demand (includes yoga, Pilates, P90X, HIIT, 21-day fix) $99 annually; 3- and 6-month memberships also available.

Down Dog App (Yoga, Yoga for Beginners, HIIT, Barre, 7-Minute) free until July 1st with peds.uab.edu email address.

POPSUGAR Fitness on YouTube offers fresh fitness tutorials, workouts, and exercises that will help you on your road to healthy living, weight loss, and stress relief.

Nutrition

Virtual Nutritional Counseling from UAB Rec Center: University Recreation’s Registered Dietitian, Katie Ellison, is offering virtual nutrition counseling sessions to help keep you on track to reach your health and well-being goals! 

MyFitnessPal: Free version (has ads, but tolerable). Food and exercise tracking. Keeping track of what you put in your body may lead to healthier choices.

Get fresh and healthy local produce

Boozer Farms: offers individual Farm Boxes for curbside pick-up in several locations around Birmingham. 

Drive-thru Market at Pepperplace: shop from a variety of farms and other local vendors at the Saturday Market at Pepperplace with drive-thru pick-up.

Community Supported Agriculture (CSA): CSA is a relationship between local farmers and community members who pay an annual fee to help farmers cover production costs. In return, community members receive a weekly share of the farmer’s harvest during growing season.

Birmingham's prime CSA farms
Your guide to 8 Birmingham-area farms offering CSA shares this Spring
Boozer Farms CSA

"Mindset: The New Psychology of Success" by Carol S. Dweck can help you change your mindset about medical education, parenting, and relationships.

Interested in talking about it later this month? Use the Faculty Pandemic survey to indicate your interest and times that might work well for a virtual book club.

Online Courses

LinkedIn Learning for UAB: LinkedIn Learning is an online learning platform that helps employees learn business, technology, and creative skills. UAB offers free membership to benefit-eligible UAB employees.* With over 16,000+ courses, you’ll be able to improve, grow, and move your career along your chosen path.

Yale Course: The Science of Wellbeing: In this course you will engage in a series of challenges designed to increase your own happiness and build more productive habits. As preparation for these tasks, Professor Laurie Santos reveals misconceptions about happiness, annoying features of the mind that lead us to think the way we do, and the research that can help us change. You will ultimately be prepared to successfully incorporate a specific wellness activity into your life.

Learning in a Changing World: In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, UAB Learning and Development is offering a full schedule of online learning. These programs will help you learn skills and virtually connect with colleagues in three areas:

·The Resilient Self—maintaining productivity during uncertainty and change, leveraging your strengths, and improving virtual communication.
·The Resilient Team—virtual collaboration, virtual meetings; Emotions Quotient, DISC.
·The Resilient Leader—a series for leading manage the remote work team including performance management, accountability, and engagement, care, and compassion.

Articles and Resources on Mindfulness & Resilience

Here’s a plan for positive coping in the time of COVID–19

Things you can do today to help improve your mental health amid COVID-19 outbreak

Dealing with Stress, Anxiety, and Grief during COVID-19: Dr. Francis Collins, NIH Director's Blog

How to Meditate in Nature: The NY Times has created a great resource for “How to Meditate in Nature.” You’ll feel amazing in just a few minutes!

Rant and Reframe: An exercise in empathy: Kasey Davis, M.D., associate professor in the Division of Critical Care at Texas Children's and alumna of the UAB Pediatric Residency Program and Pediatric Critical Care Program, provides details on the "Rant and Reframe" exercise to help us all gain a little empathy for ourselves and other during this time.

Physical Distancing, Not Social Distancing: Lauren Nassetta, M.D., DOP Chief Wellness Officer, provides some tips and resources to help with the stress and anxiety caused by social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Shine Toolkit to Help with Coronavirus Anxiety: Shine, a self-care app and online community for people with anxiety and depression, has created a special toolkit for managing coronavirus-related anxiety. The package includes curated content on issues like coping with isolation, anxiety, sleep, and financial worry

Text with a Crisis Counselor: If you’re in crisis and need immediate support, the Crisis Text Line provides 24-hour access to a trained crisis counselor over your phone. The program isn’t just for people contemplating self-harm – it’s for anyone who needs support dealing with intense emotional pain. Crisis counselors are trained volunteers, not medical professionals, so they offer emotional support, not medical advice. It usually takes less than five minutes to connect with someone, and the counselor will stay on the line until you’re calm and safe, whether that means referring you for further help or just listening. The Crisis Text Line website also offers free articles and advice for coping with coronavirus. To get started, text HOME to 741741.

"Mindset: The New Psychology of Success" by Carol S. Dweck can help you change your mindset about medical education, parenting, and relationships.

Three Minutes to Thrive: Good-for-You Stuff in 3 Minutes or Less - This video introduces the concepts of Growth vs. Fixed Mindsets. Thinking this way about our thoughts and behaviors can positively impact our work, our relationships, and ourselves.

Gratitude in Crisis - By: Lauren Nassetta, M.D., Chief Wellness Officer

Mental Health Apps

Headspace: Headspace a popular mindfulness and meditation app, is offering free subscriptions to Headspace Plus through 2020 for all US healthcare professionals with an NPI number. 

Check out the UAB HR Employee Resources page for more mental health apps. 

UAB Medicine Pastoral Care

The UAB Medicine Pastoral Care team continues to work to meet the spiritual needs of patients, families, and employees of all faiths. Click the link above for Coronavirus Resources to bring peace.  

How to make meaningful connections when social distance is the order of the day: Malcolm Marler, director of Pastoral Care at UAB, discusses the importance of maintaining meaningful connection with others.

• CDC: Managing Stress and Anxiety

• CDC: Coping and Self-Care

• CDC: Helping Children Cope with Disasters

• American Psychiatric Association: Coronavirus and Mental Health, Taking Care of Ourselves

• Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress: Taking Care of Your Family During Coronavirus

• Mayo’s MedEd Resources for providers and their families

• Virtual Schwartz Rounds

Bits of Internet Joy 

Wall of Thanks: UAB has created a space for people to express their thanks and gratitude to all those in the UAB community who are working hard during the COVID-19 pandemic. See the Wall of Thanks for notes that have been submitted and share your own message of gratitude! 

UAB Receives Thank You Letters from Birmingham Children: UAB Medicine Chief Nursing Officer Terri Poe shares some of the drawings and words of encouragement and thankfulness that were so kindly written by Birmingham elementary school children. 

Monterey Bay Aquarium live cameras: Watch all kinds of sea creatures in their habitats

Google Arts & Culture is offering Virtual Tours of national and global landmarks and cultural treasures!!

Wellness and Wanderlust: Looking for an adventurous and educational experience for the whole family that doesn't require leaving the house? We have the perfect solution. Explore "Hidden Worlds of the National Parks" on a virtual tour. You and your family will follow park rangers on a fun journey to unique places and hear exciting stories from the experts.

Some Good News: a light-hearted talk show hosted by John Krasinski. The show was created by the ongoing need to share global positivity during the pandemic. 

Color a UAB Hero: UAB Medicine has created some coloring page for children and adults in honor of the frontline workers at UAB.

Graduate Medical Education Wellness Resources

• UAB Graduate Medical Education’s Wellness Toolbox for residents and fellows

• Wellness Resources through UAB ONE. Access with your BlazerID.