Background: While healthcare providers are educated in healthcare and related activities, they often struggle to commit to practices for their own health, especially at their workplace. The Healthy Monday Nurses’ Wellness Program was designed to reduce stress and improve their overall health & wellness. The initiative was piloted at Columbia University Irving Medical Center/New York-Presbyterian Hospital. The program delivery lasted 24 weeks, disseminated over two 12 week phases.

Methods: Health messaging was delivered across several in-house channels every Monday, including: email blasts, video monitor displays, bulletin boards in work areas, team huddles, printed signage, a dedicated website page with relaxation tool guides, and in-person lectures or experiential workshops. Practices included relaxation and meditation techniques, yoga, physical movement, and healthy eating recommendations.

Results: Pre- and post-surveys were conducted via SurveyMonkey, measuring knowledge of nutrition/diet, physical activity, and stress management, intentions to practice, and barriers to self-care. Nurses reported being more likely to begin a weekly exercise routine (33% pre, 63% post), eat healthy (58% pre, 75% post) and manage stress better (33% pre, 50% post) on Monday. They described improved mood and reported fewer barriers to achieving health goals.

Conclusions: Preliminary data from the Healthy Monday Nurses’ Program demonstrated improvements in participants’ energy levels, knowledge, and interest in using the Monday cue to initiate changes in their health practices. The program is being rolled out to a larger group of nurses and hospital staff, and additional data will be collected to compare to these early results.