Role of Hospitals: Carilion Clinic
With in-person events no longer possible due to stay-at- home orders and health and safety restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic, Carilion Clinic’s Community Health and Outreach team found a new way to continue to bring free health education to the community. Beginning in April 2020, health educators in all hospital markets transitioned to “Take a Break” virtual education sessions to provide timely, relevant tips focused on improving well-being and maintaining a healthy lifestyle during an uncertain time.
Educators utilized the Webex virtual conference platform to offer more than 66 free online courses, including topics of mindfulness, exercise, hand hygiene, child safety, and heart health. Our most popular topics (i.e., sessions that were most attended) proved to be mental health and wellbeing, food and nutrition, sleep, and social connection – especially as they related to the COVID-19 pandemic.