Roche Diagnostics India launches mobile app to alleviate emotional and mental health burden of healthcare workers

REACH aims to be a companion for frontline workers to seek advice and help from professional counsellors while having access to tailored self-care content to support their emotional well-being

Roche Diagnostics India has launched REACH, a wellness platform developed to support the emotional well-being of healthcare professionals. As the world is battling COVID-19 pandemic, frontline healthcare workers (HCWs) are among the most vulnerable groups at the risk of mental health problems, a statement from the company said.

It notified that REACH aims to be a companion for frontline workers to seek advice and help from professional counsellors while having access to tailored self-care content to support their emotional well-being. 

Since the outbreak of the pandemic, healthcare workers have found themselves amid chaos and panic and yet have continued to provide their unwavering support to patients. Such a prolonged period of stress has made the HCW community vulnerable to short- and long-term mental health implications, it mentioned.

“REACH is an initiative to help healthcare professionals cope with difficulties and challenges in their life more efficiently. Through REACH, healthcare workers can have access to counselling sessions, self-help content (informative videos, articles, habit hacks, guided meditation videos) and self-assessment tools on a variety of topics including work-related challenges, parenting and relationship issues, wellness and self-development. At present, REACH platform offerings are open to all healthcare workers – clinicians, nurses, lab professionals and patient navigators,” added the statement. 

All the counsellors are professionally qualified and are trained on privacy and confidentiality to ensure that any individual seeking support gets the best possible experience. So far, REACH has been introduced in select hospitals including Tata Memorial Centre (TMC), it said.

Dr Rajendra Badwe, Director, TMC, acknowledged the need for emotional support for healthcare workers, quoting, “It is time to be employee-centric in addition to being  patient-centric in today’s scenario.” 

Echoing Dr Badwe’s thought, Sindhu Nair, Deputy Nursing Superintendent, Tata Memorial Hospital, said, “Maintaining the equilibrium between physical and mental health to balance the pressure at work place and home front took centre stage during the testing times of COVID-19 pandemic. Along with self-motivation, which many frontliners relied on, app like “REACH” helped health care workers to explore the inner self, thereby giving a boost to move ahead.”

REACH collaborated with the United Nurses Association (UNA), Maharashtra, to extend the offerings to their members, the statement said.

Jibin TC, President, UNA, appraised the uniqueness of the programme quoting, “REACH helps in overcoming anxiety and workplace stress, improving career and relationships. The process resulted in me feeling much better at work, building up the confidence to add positivity to the job and to take important strides forward in professional and personal relationships.” 

Narendra Varde, Managing Director – Roche Diagnostics India and Neighbouring Markets, said, “Health care professionals are stretched to the limit and are the most vulnerable to mental health issues. It is important to provide these frontline warriors with the tools they need to stay emotionally and mentally fit before they get down to helping patients. The scope of the project will provide mental health support for our frontline caregivers and is an important demonstration of how private sector innovation is critical in the pandemic response.”