Roche Diagnostics India launches REACH, a wellness platform developed to support the emotional well-being of healthcare professionals. As the world is battling the COVID-19 pandemic, frontline healthcare workers (HCWs) are among the most vulnerable groups at risk of mental health problems. REACH aims to be a trustworthy companion for frontline workers to seek advice and help from professional counsellors while having access to tailored self-care content to support their emotional wellbeing holistically.

Since the outbreak of the Covid-19 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. 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 selfdevelopment. At present, REACH platform offerings are open to all healthcare workers – clinicians, nurses, lab professionals, and patient navigators.

All the counselors are professionally qualified and are trained extensively on privacy and confidentiality to ensure that any individual seeking support gets the best possible experience with us.

So far, REACH has been introduced in select hospitals including the prestigious Tata Memorial Centre (TMC). Padma Shri Dr. Rajendra Badwe, Director, Tata Memorial Centre, 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’sthought, 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 center 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 NursesAssociation (UNA), Maharashtra to extend the offerings to their members. Jibin TC, President, UNA appraised the uniqueness of the program 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 Neighboring 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.”

REACH equips healthcare workers with the right tools to become self-reliant in supporting their emotional well-being and society at large. The REACH initiative aims to transform the lives of healthcare workers, while also helping hospitals and healthcare organizations in promoting holistic care of their workforce.