A Space to Recharge: Strengthening Resilience Across NC Division of Public Health

The Situation

Public health has been on the frontlines of extraordinary change over the last several years. In the wake of already strained capacity from the pandemic, staff across North Carolina's Public Health Departments have weathered a storm of the pandemic, shifting priorities, policies, funding challenges, political scrutiny, and relentless demands. While the endurance of these dedicated professionals has been remarkable, so too has the cost—rising burnout, disengagement, and turnover have taken a toll on the very teams working to protect and promote the health and well-being of the communities they serve.

Amid this backdrop, a collective of nine health departments across region 5 recognized a critical need: to invest in the people who are so often asked to give without pause. In partnership with Continuum, they sought to create a revitalizing opportunity and space for high-performing staff to rest, reflect, connect, and build the skills needed to lead forward with resilience and grit in an ever-evolving field.

The Approach

Continuum has been a long-term trusted partner for coaching, leadership and team development strategies across North Carolina’s Public Health workforce and were invited to extend this support deeper into the regional level. Together, we co-created a series of three immersive, 3-day retreats for 60 public health staff members. These retreats were intentionally designed to offer a true reprieve from the day-to-day—to honor hard work, build resilience, and strengthen cross-county collaboration.

Each cohort of ~20 participants came from diverse public health focus areas (nursing, environmental health, administration, community outreach, and more), providing a rare opportunity to connect and learn across both silos and health departments.

Key design features included:

• Pre-retreat surveys to customize each enagement to current challenges and unique needs of the participants.

• Scenic, relaxing locations across NC—from the mountains to the coast, to provide a true reprieve and a needed invitation to disconnect from daily work.

• A blend of experiential learning, facilitated dialogue, self and group reflection, and networking to accommodate different learning and engagement styles.

• Real-time adaptability of facilitation to meet the group’s emerging needs in real-time.

Topics explored included:

• Developing personal purpose, reflection, and vision within themselves and their roles in public health.

• Building emotional intelligence, resilience, and stress management strategies.

• Strengthening communication, coaching, time management, and boundary-setting skills.

• Overcoming internal negative thinking patterns that limit effectiveness and hinder mental health.

• Learning and sharing practices for team development and effectiveness while leveraging deeper understanding of the uniqueness of diverse personalities and skillsets.

• Creating space for new peer-networks, practice sharing, and cross-department collaboration.

“Such a gift to get together and have space to be human.”

The Transformation

Recharged Leaders. Stronger Networks. Renewed Purpose.

Participants were extraordinarily engaged and eager to learn throughout each of the retreats. They left the retreats feeling energize, with a deeper connection to themselves and others across the field, revitalized passion for their work and impact, and better equipped to lead within their roles with more resilience, with a participant saying “I am walking away more recharged, rethinking my priorities and reminded of why I love the work I do.”

Many expressed what a unique and wonderful opportunity it was to feel this supported in their professional development—and how impactful it was to connect with others navigating similar challenges. Participants stated, “such a gift to get together and have space to be human” and that “it fed me personally and engaged me professionally.”  

Participants key takeaways:

• A renewed sense of personal and professional purpose

• Expanded professional networks across the region

• Tools they could immediately apply in their teams and communities

• Heightened awareness and skills for managing their own well-being and capacity to lead

• New practices they can take back to their health departments and expand the learning impact across the region