It's no secret that the pandemic has taken a big toll on the morale of health-care workers.
During the early weeks of COVID-19, staff and physicians at Kootenay Lake Hospital in Nelson were really feeling the pressure of the changes to their daily practice. The usually friendly and cooperative team was dealing with a sense of fear and uncertainty about what lay ahead.
During an online education session designed to support physicians, Dr. Linda Johannson, an emergency physician at the hospital started to explore the topic of how anxiety and fearful attitudes at work can be contagious. The group also discussed how the reverse is also true, and positive attitudes can be contagious. After all, it only takes one person to get things started.
That’s when the idea for “Love is also contagious” was born.
"I approached Marian Lowe, a gifted graphic designer and friend, and asked her to take a cartoon coronavirus image and morph it into a heart, for a more friendly virus image than the scary ones all over the news and our internal communication," says Dr. Johannson. "It's a visual cue to everyone who works here, that we can have a positive influence on those around us."
To help spread the visual reminder, stickers and buttons were created, along with a downloadable window sign. “When I have time at night or in the early morning, I’ll fill up a little bag with pins and stickers and go around the hospital to “spread love.” People seem to really appreciate the message and the visual reminders to take a minute and reset if they are getting stressed on a shift.”
