Nurses across Southeast Texas will have a chance to focus on their own well-being later this month during a free Nurse Resilience and Mental Health Awareness event aimed at encouraging honest conversations about stress and mental health in the profession.
The event is scheduled for May 29 at the Suite C Event Lounge, with doors opening at 6:30. Organizers said it is the first year for the event.
Organizer Tamika Renfro said she is a life coach and will serve as the mental health panelist. Mignon Thomas created the event because nurses are “exposed to trauma almost every single day on a good day.”
Attendees can expect a gourmet dinner and free massages for those who intend to participate, according to the organizer. The program will also include a panel featuring nurses from different specialties, along with nurse practitioners and a mental health ANP,.
The event’s goal is “restoration,” and organizers described a significant need in the region noting that six out of ten nurses in Southeast Texas alone are dealing with mental health issues and high level stress.
Participants will leave with “the eight stage process” they can use daily “to, address those concerns and just deal with their mental health on a daily basis.”
The organizer said the idea grew out of her work helping nurses nationwide, which began during COVID. She also described her own experience with mental health challenges.
“So I had a mental health crisis, and I almost fell through the cracks,” she said, adding that it motivated her to bring support back to Southeast Texas.
The event is free, but registration is requested. The organizer said those planning to attend should register at ihelpnurses.com.