Santa Cruz County Nurses Participate in 1440 Multiversity Retreat: Healing Our Healthcare Heroes
Santa Cruz County: Earlier this month, the Health Improvement Partnership of Santa Cruz County (HIP) in partnership with 1440 Multiversity offered approximately 50 nurses scholarships to attend 1440 Multiversity’s Healing Our Healthcare Heroes retreat free of charge. The scholarships were made possible by a grant from the Kaiser Permanente Northern California Fund for Health Education at the East Bay Community Foundation. “At Kaiser Permanente, we are dedicated to supporting and retaining our healthcare workforce,” said Nikki West, Health Care Education Program Director. “We were pleased to support the Healing our Healthcare Heroes retreat, which offered much-needed restorative practices for nurses who are so critical to improving health in our communities.”
The partnership was inspired by input from HIP’s Santa Cruz County Nursing Workforce Council; part of the Santa Cruz County Health Workforce Council (HWC). The Nursing Workforce Council has been meeting monthly since August 2022 to discuss solutions to increase and retain the nurse workforce, including providing 1440 Multiversity’s Healing Our Healthcare Heroes nurse retreat. April LoFranco, BSN, RN, an Associate Faculty Internship and Residency Liaison at Dominican Hospital Telemetry Registered Nurse and an instructor in the Cabrillo College Nursing Program, who facilitated the Nursing Workforce Council for the last year, comments, “The beautifully designed program addressed the ongoing struggles nurses experience and the compounding damage these experiences have on our nursing workforce. This job in nursing can take a toll on us, for the things we witness are not typical to all individuals, and life-changing actions are a consistent theme of our profession. I was truly given the opportunity to learn, rest, and collaborate with like-minded nurses which left me feeling hopeful and recharged to return to a demanding work life. My hope is, in the future, we are able to share this program with many more nurses.”
The retreat was created as a time for connection, healing, energy renewal, and growth while providing faculty sessions that address the unique experiences of nurses, such as moral injury, grief and healing, and finding joy and hope in the workplace. Additionally, nurses could enjoy the all-inclusive private campus, nourishing meals, nature trails, and signature classes, such as yoga, tai chi, and meditative art. Nicole Beye, a labor and delivery RN at Sutter Maternity and Surgery Center, who attended the retreat reflects, “My weekend at 1440 was incredible and a much-needed time to reset and recharge. The staff was welcoming, greeting us at every delicious meal and ensuring we had everything we needed. The signature classes were fun, the faculty speakers were great, and we learned how to calm our busy minds and bodies; utilizing the beautiful grounds to hike or relax in the saltwater infinity tub. I can’t say enough about what a fantastic time I had.”
1440 Multiversity, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit philanthropic campus and learning destination, is located in Scotts Valley and supports creating hope for living well through community building and human flourishing. Since launching Healing Our Healthcare Heroes in 2021, 1440 Multiversity has hosted more than 32 cohorts and welcomed more than 2,600 frontline medical workers through the workshop program, with all participants attending free of charge through generous grants and donations. Several more Healing Our Healthcare Heroes retreats are planned for this year and 2024; for more information please visit www.1440.org.
Health Improvement Partnership of Santa Cruz County: A nonprofit coalition of public and private healthcare leaders dedicated to increasing access to healthcare and building stronger local healthcare systems. The HWC aims to build, strengthen, and diversify Santa Cruz County’s health workforce with qualified individuals who can best support and provide health services to the community and seeks to increase opportunities for Santa Cruz County residents to advance in health professions and align and expand education and training through pipeline programs, work-based learning, and continued professional development for incumbent workers. For more information about HIP’s Workforce Development program, please visit www.hipscc.org/workforce.
1440 Multiversity: The creation of 1440 Multiversity stemmed from a desire by Joanie and Scott Kriens to establish a beautiful and nurturing destination where people and organizations could gather in a community to explore, learn, reflect, connect, and re-energize. Since opening in May 2017, the unique nonprofit has established itself as a premier learning destination globally, having welcomed over 100,000 visitors from more than 54 countries.
at the East Bay Community Foundation: In addition to providing affordable health care and coverage for our members and patients, Kaiser Permanente uses a full range of assets to improve the health of the communities we serve. We provide grants and donations to address identified health needs, sponsorships to support community events and activities, and in-kind donations, as well as employee and physician volunteers.
