Posted on: August 10, 2022
Hosted and created by staff, for staff - the Self Care Café at RJH offers sessions once a month for people to briefly step away from their busy day and relax, reconnect and do something creative. Designed by nurses Laura Hiltz and Diane Nadeau in 2019, the Self Care Café was well received by RJH staff until pandemic restrictions required a pause. This year the Café is back and offering in-person sessions again, hosted by Laura and Alison Glasbergen, also a nurse at RJH.
Each Café features an art exercise where instructions and art supplies are provided, and no artistic experience is needed. “Providing an art activity is like giving people permission to have fun and be creative," Alison says. "People often come up and tell us how meaningful it is for them," Laura adds.
Future plans include expanding the Café to VGH this September, and Diane will be looking at introducing the Café in new venues to support students in their future careers.
The Guest Speaker Series is another new addition planned for September. This will enable a bit more time to explore aspects surrounding self-care and
allow ALL Island Health staff to participate. The Series will feature a guest speaker and an interactive workshop on WebEx. Staff can participate in person, online, or view the recording afterwards.
Alison, Laura and Diane are looking forward to seeing everyone soon!