Creating environments for flourishing

^{Bridget Apitz and Sherry Chesak}

The Center for Flourishing Health Care Communities was established in 2023 with inaugural director Sherry Chesak, PhD, MS, RN, clinical professor and nurse scientist. The center was envisioned by Dean Connie White Delaney, PhD, RN, FAAN, FACMI, FNAP, and University of Minnesota Rochester Chancellor Lori Carrell, PhD, in response to the concern for heightened levels of stress, anxiety and burnout among health care students, faculty, staff and practicing clinicians in a complex health care ecosystem. The new center is a collaboration between the University of Minnesota School of Nursing and the University of Minnesota Rochester (UMR) and engages Mayo Clinic and the state nursing workforce Center for Nursing Equity and Excellence, a collaboration between the University of Minnesota School of Nursing and Minnesota State Healthcare Workforce. A think tank meeting in early 2023 informed the purpose of the center, which is to discover innovative methods to create environments that are conducive for health care students and professionals to not just survive, but to flourish. Its vision is to create a culture of flourishing in health care education and practice through the discovery of groundbreaking, creative approaches that foster diversity, inclusivity, resilience and a thriving health care ecosystem. Several initiatives are underway.

Currently, the center is collaborating with Amit Sood, MD, a globally recognized expert in resilience and wellbeing, to train University of Minnesota health care students as Certified Resilience Facilitators. Through a selection process School of Nursing and UMR student leaders were accepted into the program in fall semester and are completing a 12-week training throughout the 2024-2025 academic year. This training educates students on how the brain focuses, thinks, and generates positive and negative emotions. They learn to apply this knowledge to enhance their focus, manage challenging situations better, cultivate positivity, and strengthen relationships. Additionally, students are equipped to teach resilience principles to peers and future colleagues in health care, empowering them to inspire resilience in others.