Serenity now: A peek inside the STHS ‘Recharge Room’

To help St. Tammany Health System staff members decompress during the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak, a ‘Recharge Room’ has been set up at the Covington hospital, offering a dose of peace, quiet, compassion – and snacks. (Photo by Mike Scott)

By Mike Scott, mscott@stph.org

Even superheroes need their getaways.

Superman had his Fortress of Solitude. Wonder Woman had Paradise Island.

And St. Tammany Health System’s healthcare heroes now have the Recharge Room.

A pop-up employee lounge intended to serve as an oasis of serenity amid the ongoing COVID-19 coronavirus craziness, it’s an offshoot of the STHS Employee Assistance Program and is designed to ensure the hospital’s caregivers are taking time to care for themselves.

“We really can’t care for other people unless we’re caring for ourselves,” said Colleen Hughes MSW LCSW OSW-C, an oncology social worker at St. Tammany Cancer Center and one of a handful of STHS "EAP Champions" tasked with ensuring their colleagues are getting the support they need at this decidedly stressful time.

Hughes continued: “Our first line of defense, our first concern that we might have as we go to take of people is: ‘Have we taken care of ourselves? Are we in a space where we can be at our best to care for the people in our community who are at the greatest need?’”

Visitors to the Recharge Room will find a variety of comforts. There is soothing music. There are free snacks and water. There is comfortable seating.  

Perhaps most importantly, though, there is a tranquil environment – disinfected daily by the STHS Environmental Services team, including periodic visits from one of the hospital’s newly acquired germ-zapping UV robots -- in which to escape the pressures of life and work for 10 or 15 minutes at a time.

“They can expect peace and quiet,” Hughes said. “They can expect an offer of support and care. They can expect a moment to be away from supervisors and co-workers and patients and all of the things that go along with that in this trying time. And, really, it’s amazing how recharged you can become even after just a quick break if you settle your mind and focus on your breathing.”

Recharge Room visitors will also find information on the EAP program, which offers colleagues and family members confidential counseling on a variety of topics – from emotional support to legal issues to finances and more – 24 hours a day and seven day a week via phone, via a smartphone app and online.

Crucially, they can also lean on the health system’s EAP Champions, who, in addition to making rounds at the hospital, have been taking turns staffing the Recharge Room.

“Sometimes it helps just to put words to your concerns, to voice your concerns,” Hughes said. “And even if we’re not able to resolve them, just the process of communicating them can be helpful to someone. So, yes, we invite people to come down and have a chat with the EAP Champions. The emotional support for all of our colleagues is here.”


(Video by Tim San Fillippo)