As rushing feet and hurrying staff move through an ICU unit on the second floor of The University of New Mexico Hospital, a few short steps away sits a very quiet room.
There is no medical equipment inside. There are no beeps, no computers or patient charts – just serenity accompanied by the comforting sounds of nature.
Welcome to the Recharge Room; a new area inside UNM Hospital dedicated for hospital staff to take some time for themselves.
“When you work in the hospital, you really don’t have the luxury of being able to say, ‘I just want to take a break,’ or, ‘I'm feeling a little overwhelmed right now,’ because you're driven by the need to take care of your patients,” says Steve Nuanez, UNM Hospital’s director of Employee Well-Being.
The overwhelming emotional complexities that health care workers face really came to light during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, Nuanez said. “In some ways things have gotten worse with staffing issues. There are still lots and lots of people in the health care field that are leaving because they're feeling burnt out and lost. So, it's still a really challenging time.”
Because the hospital appreciates its team members so much, it is always working to create a work environment that doesn’t feel like a large, corporate organization, said UNM Hospital CEO Kate Becker.
“Much like the communities we serve throughout the state of New Mexico, we strive to provide an environment for our team members that feels like home and family,” she said.
Health care staff continually face a high risk of burnout and exhaustion – a challenge that was only intensified by the pandemic and still continues. This is why we work hard every day to think of ways to make our staff feel valued and respected
“Health care staff continually face a high risk of burnout and exhaustion – a challenge that was only intensified by the pandemic and still continues. This is why we work hard every day to think of ways to make our staff feel valued and respected.”
The Recharge Room is designed to give hospital staff a place to reset and get back to a mental state that allows them to continue to care for their patients.
“At the end of the day, if you've never had a chance to decompress – the chance to come back down to baseline – then you end the day completely exhausted, completely spent,” Nuanez said. “We recommend that people try to find time, a minute or two minutes, just to be able to come back down to baseline throughout the day.”
The vision for the Recharge Room began in late 2021 with a donation from Nusenda Credit Union. UNM Hospital’s Facilities Planning Team got to work, looking at hospitals around the country for inspiration, including a space at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City that created a biophilic environment – a space that helps connect people with their innate love of nature.
“Nusenda is proud to partner with UNM Hospital to create a respite space for health care providers,” Joe Christian, Nusenda’s president and CEO. “The last few years have taught us how critical it is to care for our communities and their caregivers. UNM Hospital’s Care for the Caregiver program and respite room provide resources and space in the hospital for health care providers to decompress from difficult situations, lower stress levels and take a quiet break before returning to the people relying on their support.”
In addition to comfortable seating, UNM Hospital’s Recharge Room includes a large state-of-the-art projector where nature videos and relaxing music can be played. “And it's all connected to lights,” Nuanez said. “As video is changing, the lights also change to match. So, it's really a nice experience.”
While the space can only hold six to eight people at a time, Nuanez says the meaning behind the Recharge Room is much, much bigger.
“The reality is that it's one room in a hospital of 7,000 employees. So, it's not going to be something that everybody's going to use. But it is something that everybody will be able to recognize as important,” Nuanez said. “So, in whatever place you find yourself, you know that ‘this is something that I need to do to take care of myself.’”