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 Oregon Wellness

Confidential support and education resources for physicians and physician assistants.
Increasing pressure on physicians and physician assistants

The demands of a career in medicine leave little time for physicians and PAs to take care of their most valuable resources: their own physical, emotional and professional well-being. Adding to their stress is concern about whether there could be a stigma or licensing repercussions as a result of seeking care. 

“As physicians, you see one especially important patient every day. It’s the face in the mirror—you. And you have to take care of this patient so that you can be at your best to take care of all your other patients.”

—Robert Wah, M.D., President, American Medical Association, 2014
  Recognizing the need for confidential, accessible and comprehensive wellness services, the OMA has developed a new, statewide, multifaceted program specifically for our members. The OMA Wellness Program is a quality intervention service that helps physicians and PAs manage and overcome personal or professional issues. 

The five CONVENIENT, CONFIDENTIAL wellness components:

“Medicine is a very compelling mistress and so she will always want more of us than is healthy for us to give. So what needs to happen for us as doctors is we need to begin to know when our own well-being is being jeopardized.”

—Henry Grass, M.D., Oregon Wellness Committee

Take advantage of free access to trained professionals and meaningful support tools to help you achieve health and balance. It’s good for you. It’s good for your patients.

Dr. Henry Grass is a practicing psychiatrist at Providence St. Vincent Medical Center and has years of experience with physician wellness and treatment. Some of the topics he covers in this video are the importance—and lack of—physician wellness training during medical school; the warning signs that lead to impairment and illness; how to know when you need to get help; how wellness affects caring for patients; and the stigma physicians believe is associated with admitting help is needed. Oregon Wellness is a program that Dr. Grass is engrossed in and fully supports as a way to help physicians seek out coaching and support.
 

The Elements of Wellness

The Oregon Wellness Program provides a connection where physicians and PAs can talk to colleagues, confidentially. The program has five components, each aimed at helping clinicians prevent or correct deficits in patient care practices and/or professional conduct.