About one in four adults in North Carolina experiences symptoms of anxiety and/or depression, but unfortunately, too many people don’t have access to high-quality behavioral health care that can help minimize or alleviate these symptoms.
Duke University and Duke Health have long provided resources to support employees’ mental well-being, such as Personal Assistance Service, Employee Occupational Health & Wellness, Caring For Each Other, and clinical appointments with Duke behavioral health providers.
This spring, the launch of the Duke Employee Access Clinic made scheduling behavioral health appointments with Duke University Health System (DUHS) providers easier and more convenient.
The new clinic offers self-scheduling through MyChart or by phone, followed by a 20-minute appointment with a care coordinator trained to determine the level of care needed and facilitate the employee’s access to that care. Providers at the clinic—including a psychiatrist, advanced practice providers, and licensed clinical social workers—offer confidential medication management, therapy, and substance use treatment.
Employees with urgent behavioral health concerns can consult with a nurse for immediate needs assessment and triage to care.
“At Duke, we firmly believe that taking care of our employees' wellbeing is crucial to effectively serving our community,” said Johana Troccoli, MHA, associate vice president for behavioral health in DUHS. “To that end, the Behavioral Health Access Clinic is a significant part of Duke’s larger commitment to supporting our employees, and it is a proud moment to see this clinic become reality.”
“The Behavioral Health Access Clinic is a significant part of Duke’s larger commitment to supporting our employees, and it is a proud moment to see this clinic become reality.”
— Johana Troccoli, MHA
The clinic is located at Duke Behavioral Health North Durham at Duke Regional Hospital; all services are also offered virtually. Services are billed to the employee’s health insurance and may involve a co-pay.
Employee Access Clinic providers care exclusively for Duke faculty and staff. Having this dedicated team allows a quicker and easier response to employees’ mental and behavioral health needs.
“Previously, we would have employees reach out all the time for behavioral health care, but we would have to squeeze them in wherever we could—so to have continual dedicated access, I think shows that employees’ behavioral and mental health support is a priority for [our health] system,” said Ashley Acken, MHA, MDiv, service line director for adult outpatient behavioral health in DUHS.
As of early November, the Employee Access Clinic had provided behavioral health services for just over 1,000 Duke faculty and staff members in more than 2,500 visits.
“It’s exciting that Duke Health can now provide this special access to behavioral health care for members of our Duke family,” said Moira Rynn, MD, chair of the Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences. “Mental health is central to our overall health, and sadly, it’s overlooked far too often. I’m proud of the faculty and staff who have brought this clinic to fruition and are supporting Duke employees through treatment and other support services.”
Augmenting Existing Resources
The Employee Access Clinic is one of several Duke resources designed to help Duke faculty and staff members who are experiencing emotional distress, mental health challenges, and burnout. Below is a brief summary of these options.
Duke Personal Assistance Service
Duke Personal Assistance Service (PAS) is the faculty/employee assistance program of Duke University and its health system. At PAS, licensed professionals offer assessment, short-term counseling, crisis response, and referrals to help resolve a range of personal, work, and family problems.
Services are available at no charge to Duke faculty, staff, and their immediate adult family members at multiple locations: Main Street in Durham, Duke Regional Hospital, Duke Raleigh Hospital, and the Employee Occupational Health and Wellness Clinic in Duke South. Individual counseling services are also available virtually.
Employees who identify urgent mental health concerns can speak with a counselor on the day of their call to PAS, and after-hours access to speak with a counselor is available by phone.
PAS also provides consultation to managers seeking assistance in how to best address a difficult employee situation. The PAS website includes additional helpful resources about topics from self-care to work-life balance to dealing with grief in the workplace, to name just a few.
Employee Occupational Health and Wellness
Employee Occupational Health and Wellness (EOHW) cares for the health of all Duke employees as it pertains to working at Duke, including employee and patient safety and job performance issues. Sometimes mental health challenges, substance use issues, or cognitive problems can interfere with an employee’s ability to carry out their responsibilities or interact with others safely and effectively.
In most cases, employees are referred to EOHW by a concerned supervisor or (for residents and fellows) program director, but employees can reach out to EOHW directly if they feel their health may be impacting their work performance.
Employees are initially seen by an EOHW physician, and in cases where there are signs of a potential behavioral health concern, the employee is often referred to Guy Potter, PhD, an associate professor in psychiatry and behavioral sciences. Potter, a clinical psychologist who spends 50 percent of his time in the EOHW clinic, conducts behavioral health assessments and provides behavioral and cognitive therapy in the areas of executive function skills, job performance, job burnout, and health-related behavior change.
Potter works with EOHW physicians and advanced practice providers to partner with various clinics, services, and offices across the university and health system—for example, the Employee Access Clinic, PAS, and Human Resources—to help employees access the support they need to function more effectively at work. These options may include, but aren’t limited to, Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) accommodations, Family and Medical Leave (FMLA), or a specialized assessment.
EOHW services are free of charge to employees, and EOHW keeps independent medical records separate from the Duke Health electronic medical record.
Caring for Each Other
The Caring for Each Other program for Duke Health faculty and staff members provides individual peer support, group peer support for teams that have experienced an adverse event, emotional support rounding on a regular schedule, and topical group conversations facilitated by licensed Duke social workers.
Through Caring for Each Other, Duke Health team members receive opportunities for supportive listening, validation of their feelings and experiences, self-care guidance, and referrals when they’ve experienced a patient care event, professional stressor, or personal issue that impacts work.
Finding the Right Resources
It’s common to feel hesitant about reaching out for help when we have a behavioral health concern, but employees are encouraged to take advantage of these well-being services and programs offered by the university and health system.
“Each Duke employee has different emotional support needs, which may vary over time,” said Shelley Holmer, MD, vice chair for adult psychiatry and psychology clinical services and acting medical director of the Employee Access Clinic. “Our hope is that, with multiple behavioral health and well-being options offered by several entities across the institution—who often collaborate with each other and refer across programs—Duke faculty and staff will receive the support they need to thrive both personally and professionally, whether that’s through the clinic or some of these other avenues.”
“Our hope is that, with multiple behavioral health and well-being options offered by several entities across the institution—who often collaborate with each other and refer across programs—Duke faculty and staff will receive the support they need to thrive both personally and professionally, whether that’s through the clinic or some of these other avenues.”
— Shelley Holmer, MD
Here’s a quick guide to accessing the services and programs described above:
- Employee Access Clinic – Call 919-684-0100 or self-schedule via MyChart
- Personal Assistance Service (PAS) – Call 919-416-1727 or visit their website
- Employee Occupational Health & Wellness – Call 919-684-3136, option 2 (Duke Clinic location) or visit their website
- Caring for Each Other (Duke Health) – Call 919-684-9222, email caringforeachother@duke.edu, or visit their website (Duke login required)