Research News

Bringing Colleagues Together in the Time of COVID-19

August 30, 2021

Drs. A. Rani Elwy, Elizabeth Maguire, D. Keith McInnes, and Gemmae Fix – part of HSR&D’s Center for  Healthcare Organization and Implementation Research (CHOIR) – developed a weekly online newsletter, “Creativity in the Time of COVID-19,” to serve as a collective effort for documenting the experiences of colleagues during the COVID-19 pandemic. The newsletter goals were to:

• Create a connected community of colleagues;
• Recognize their unique needs, concerns, and coping strategies; and
• Create a mechanism to creatively share experiences.

Themes identified from narratives submitted by colleagues related to how they had developed much-needed social connections during the pandemic. Colleagues also had to quickly learn to work from home. They created new ways of working remotely while attending to different social roles and responsibilities that exist at home. Others had to learn to share home spaces with members of their household including pets, who helped them cope during the pandemic.

The 23 issues of the newsletter also include photos with captions, poems, essays, original artwork, and games. Many of these reflect efforts to create social connection with others – family members and friends, both near and far, neighbors, as well as other colleagues. Once a week, and later, once a month, one of the editors emailed the newsletter to the entire Center. Here’s a sample of the feedback from CHOIR colleagues—

Loving each and every one of these pieces!

Thanks for brightening up my day!

This brought a big smile to my face this Wednesday morning! Great way to start the day. 

“Creativity in the Time of COVID-19” issues are located on the HSR&D CHOIR’s website.

Elwy, AR, Maguire W, McInnes DK, and Fix G. Creating connections during COVID-19. Health Communications. August 26, 2021.