Becker's Dental + DSO Review

12 BECKER'S DENTAL + DSO REVIEW - VOL. 2021 NO. 3 EXECUTIVE BRIEFING Sponsored by: Dentistry can be a stressful profession, both mentally and physically. For many dentists, the demands of practicing dentistry while also running a business can be overwhelming. This is particularly true for those in small private practices. Today, pent-up demand for dental care resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic has heightened these stresses. Becker's Dental + DSO Review recently spoke with two experts from Effingham, Ill.-based Heartland Dental about stress in the dental industry, the importance of mental health benefits for dental professionals, and Heartland Dental's work to support wellness research for dentists: • Tyler Micenheimer, Senior Vice President of Human Resources • Erin Duncan, Wellness Program Manager COVID-19 underscored the need to help employees manage new and existing forms of stress Even before the pandemic, many dentists faced persistent stress. The role of a dentist is physically demanding as many procedures lead to repetitive stress on the shoulders and elbows. Managing a small business can also be overwhelming. "If you're running a private practice, dentistry is only one aspect of your job—and it might not be the biggest part of it," Micenheimer said. "There are many additional demands of running a business, like hiring staff, employee development, accounting, legal and more." On top of these issues, COVID-19 introduced new concerns for dentists. During this difficult time, Heartland Dental took a multi-pronged approach to help supported practices and team members weather the storm. "One of the first things we decided was that we wouldn't let the pandemic jeopardize our ability to support doctors and their teams," Micenheimer said. "We wanted to provide an enhanced level of support for team members during a period of intense uncertainty." COVID shutdowns forced Heartland Dental to furlough team members and to think differently in terms of moving forward to keep every single teammate protected, connected, and engaged so they knew the company cared for their health and well-being. As part of this support, the organization heavily publicized access to healthcare benefits and other programs, like the employee assistance program. "We currently work with Blue Cross Blue Shield, and members can sign up for stress management programs through their Well onTarget® portal," Duncan said. "Team members can also work with a health coach on stress-related issues, whether those are financial or related to personal relationships. All of these programs are accessible to our employees and we wanted to ensure that they could utilize them as needed, both during and post-pandemic." Although many people think that EAPs simply provide counseling, these programs often offer many additional free, professional, confidential services for employees and families. "Our EAP includes referrals to childcare and elder care, which were really needed during the pandemic," Duncan said. "It also offers assistance with college planning, financial guidance, and even legal information and referrals." As employees struggled with new roles outside of work, like managing remote learning for children, Heartland Dental's leadership team challenged itself to think outside the box to identify innovative solutions. "We asked ourselves, 'What is Heartland good at and how can we apply those strengths to the issues that our employees are facing?' Shepherding kids through a new remote learning environment was something no one had done before," Micenheimer said. "We realized that we could turn our world-class education team toward that challenge." In response, Heartland Dental built a training module focused on how to be an effective parent educator. This includes multiple resources to help team members educate their children, while balancing work and personal commitments. Heartland Dental also devoted a significant amount of time to developing great leaders through training, on-the- job experience, and mentorships. "We firmly believe that a job with good leaders is much less stressful than a job with poor leaders," Micenheimer said. "Effective leadership creates a stable, less stressful work environment." From crisis comes opportunity — How Heartland Dental strengthened its commitment to employee wellness amid the pandemic and beyond

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