PRINCETON –Today, the New Jersey Hospital Association announced the release of a series of free on-demand wellness webinars, developed by mental health professionals to provide coping and resiliency skills. The webinars are available to both healthcare professionals and the general public.

The series of seven programs can be found on NJHA EdPower, a new learning management system that provides a wide array of flexible, on-demand educational offerings.

In a November 2020 study, the Kaiser Family Foundation found that 37.4 percent of New Jersey adults reported symptoms of anxiety or depressive disorder on more than half of the days in a week. The review was conducted over four weeks in September and October.

“The pandemic has greatly exacerbated the stress and anxiety that New Jerseyans are experiencing,” said Mary Ditri, PhD, vice president of community health at NJHA. “People are concerned about their health, anxious about their jobs, worried about loved ones and feeling the impact of isolation. Our goal with this series is to tap the vast expertise of mental health professionals in our member hospitals and provide an easily accessible resource to support emotional wellness.”

Topics in the series include helping children cope, creating time for yourself, battling burnout and coping through a pandemic winter. The recorded webinars range in length from 15 to 40 minutes.

“NJHA’s EdPower platform is designed for busy healthcare professionals to access education on their own schedule, on any device,” said Victoria Brogan, NJHA’s senior vice president of strategic initiatives. “While it specializes in content for healthcare staff, the Emotional Wellness series provides coping and resiliency support for anyone struggling to find balance during these difficult times.”