posted September 19, 2024

Peer support program designed to support to mental health, wellbeing of teammates

GREENWOOD VILLAGE, CO – Sept. 19, 2024 – Air Methods’ first-ever peer-to-peer support group — the Stress Intervention & Recovery Employee Network (SIREN) — completed its first year of supporting teammates’ mental health and well-being, citing the effectiveness of the program with nearly 300 touchpoints. Launched in September 2023, SIREN was created to ensure all teammates have access to the mental health care they need, both in their professional and personal lives, to navigate the demands of working in critical and often high-pressure environments. 

“While working in the medical industry is very rewarding, it can also be extremely challenging and taxing on individuals, including our teammates,” said Senior Vice President of Clinical Services Dr. Stephanie Queen. “With SIREN, we are providing a space where our teammates and partners can decompress with a peer to lean on or even a shoulder to cry on because we know some days are just too hard and it’s okay to not be okay.”

All SIREN peer support specialists are current Air Methods teammates who have undergone extensive training in active listening and providing support for work-related situations or stressors. They’re also equipped to be able to identify and refer teammates to professional resources, as needed. 

“Following the transport of a sick and labor-intensive trauma patient, my clinical partner and I were going to keep pushing forward to get ready to respond to another call,” said Flight Paramedic Jason Dalal. “Because our pilot was a trained SIREN peer support specialist, he recognized that we were not ready to get back to service. He advised us that he was here as a member of SIREN if we needed to speak to him or that we could also talk to a SIREN member who was a clinician, who might have more of an understanding of what we were going through.”

SIREN support is available 24/7 to all Air Methods teammates and its partners by phone or text. Privacy is a top priority, and all conversations remain confidential unless there are safety concerns. Those calling or texting the SIREN Hotline are immediately connected to an on-call peer specialist who can provide immediate support or connect the requestor to other available resources. 

“I’ve leaned on SIREN twice. The first call, I was seeking guidance in my personal life and the second call was for work, where a neonatal patient coded,” said Clinical Base Lead and Flight Nurse Tara Trottier. “That was a tough call to endure. The ground ambulance team was just as shaken as our flight team. I called SIREN to help our partners, who don’t have these mental health resources readily available to them like Air Methods’ teammates do. SIREN was a blessing to have as a resource not only for our partners but also for me. Just having the hotline with someone on the other line to say ‘Your feelings are validated, and I have your back,’ is enough to know I’m okay, and it’s okay to not be okay.”

Since its inception, the peer support team has facilitated more than 260 touchpoints, including calls, emails, texts, and in-person check-ins. The support group began with 30 highly trained peer support specialists. Given its success and to broaden the impact of help, SIREN is increasing to 45 peer specialists this year. SIREN peer support specialists are available across every discipline in the company allowing for those leaning on SIREN to request a peer in their field. 

“SIREN has been an amazing addition to our company. I originally didn’t know what SIREN was capable of until I utilized them,” said Dalal. “I have encouraged other crew members to reach out to SIREN after certain calls, errors, and incidents as their compassion and support are not something I’ve experienced in any other company.”