California Medical Association and Mercury Insurance Partner to Provide Wellness Care for Frontline Healthcare Workers

Care 4 Caregivers Now provides peer coaching through volunteer physicians, nurses and other healthcare workers to assist those serving on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic

News provided by

Mercury General Corporation

Apr 23, 2020, 13:00 ET

SACRAMENTO, Calif. and LOS ANGELES, April 23, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The California Medical Association's Wellness Program (CMA Wellness) and Mercury Insurance today announced a partnership on a new initiative, Care 4 Caregivers Now, that provides frontline healthcare workers with mental and emotional wellness support and coaching. Care 4 Caregivers Now will train and connect volunteer physicians, nurses and healthcare workers to provide peer-to-peer coaching to assist those serving on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Funded by a $150,000 donation from Mercury Insurance, Care 4 Caregivers Now will provide healthcare workers with desperately needed access to wellness coaching support as they bravely fight the ongoing battle against COVID-19.

Coaching and peer support is a proven way to prevent emotional exhaustion and burnout while improving resiliency. Health care workers need these services more than ever to help them maintain a healthy mindset during this crisis.

"One of the most difficult things to do for anyone is to seek help and support to ensure their emotional well-being," said David C. Logan, PhD, CEO of CMA's Wellness Program. "The COVID-19 pandemic is threatening the well-being of physicians, nurses and other medical personnel, and we want them to know this resource is here for them during these challenging times."

Care 4 Caregivers Now is the first program of its kind and it will provide wellness solutions to help reduce emotional exhaustion, stress and burnout for doctors, nurses, medical technicians and support staff. The program has identified more than 300 volunteer physicians and nurses who have been trained or are willing to be trained as a peer coach for frontline health workers impacted by COVID-19.

"Mercury Insurance has always been a community-focused company," said Mercury Insurance President and CEO, Gabriel Tirador. "This program will provide critical support to these brave men and women who are risking their lives to help protect their communities. They want and need access to this kind of care and we're very pleased to be able to partner with the California Medical Association to help make Care 4 Caregivers Now a reality."

"We want to thank Mercury Insurance for their substantial contribution to this effort, which will allow us to scale up this program quickly to provide services to those who are on our front lines now," said Dustin Corcoran, CEO of the California Medical Association. "This is a first-of-its-kind program that we believe can serve as a model to help reduce burnout and guide those physicians, nurses and other medical staff who are leading California through this crisis."

Important Resources:

Healthcare workers who would like to volunteer to be remote peer coaches or would like to be connected to a coach to receive support should visit care4caregiversnow.org.
To learn more about Care 4 Caregivers Now, visit cmadocs.org/care4caregivers.
To see Mercury's response to COVID-19, visit www.mercuryinsurance.com.

About California Medical Association

The California Medical Association represents the state's physicians with more than 50,000 members in all modes of practice and specialties, and CMA is dedicated to the health of all patients in California. For more information, please visit CMAdocs.org, and follow CMA on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube and Instagram.

About Mercury Insurance

Mercury Insurance (MCY) is a multiple-line insurance organization predominantly offering personal automobile, homeowners and commercial insurance through a network of independent agents in Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Oklahoma, Texas and Virginia. Since 1962, Mercury has specialized in offering quality insurance at affordable prices. For more information visit www.mercuryinsurance.com or Facebook and follow the company on Twitter.