On any given episode of Gray’s Anatomy (or your favorite hospital television drama), you are familiar with hearing a “Code Blue” loudspeaker announcement. From there, emergency medical technicians (EMTs), doctors and nurses rush in to save the life of the person injured or sick.
Did you know there are more codes? Code Blue is typically used for cardiac or respiratory arrest, while Code Red is usually for fire or smoke present in the hospital. There’s Code Black for a bomb threat in the health facility. And, there’s Code Pink for when an infant has been abducted. There are other hospital emergency codes that are used differently throughout the United States and other countries’ hospital systems,
One such code that isn’t used as frequently but should be on every hospital’s alert terminology is Code Lavender. This is a growing type of emergency care for those in need of emotional support and hospitals and other healthcare facilities can benefit from knowing about implementing their own Code Lavender programs.
Code Lavender was “started by Earl Bakken at North Hawaii Community Hospital in Waimea in 2008,” and lavender was the color chosen for holistic wellness. From there, in the same year, the famed Cleveland Clinic adopted the Code Lavender program.
Code Lavender is staffed by holistic nurses and chaplains and in the case of Cleveland Clinic, the 14-person team falls under the purview of the Spiritual Care Department. The are a rapid-response model for holistic care for patients, family members and healthcare providers in immediate need. Since crises that are matters of life or death can weigh heavily on people after the fact, the Code Lavender team steps in with emotional support care for those requesting it. In the case of Cleveland Clinic, again, it is primarily healthcare providers who request Code Lavender the majority of the time.
It’s important to remember that Code Lavender alerts are for crisis intervention in the healthcare environment and not meant as a long-term program against burnout or other issues.
In the Cleveland Clinic, the Code Lavender teammates are identified by lavender scrubs and lab coats with “Healing Services” stitched on them. The tools, techniques and therapies of a Code Lavender team will be tailored to the program and culture, but by and large, they will include:
- energetic healing modalities, such as Reiki,
- physical care modalities, such as acupressure, light massage, reflexology, and reflexive brushing,
- expression-based modalities, such as writing or journaling, music, self-directed art (such as sketching or drawing), and singing, and,
- Other mind-body modalities, such as guided breathing and imagery exercises, meditation, and movement.
In order for Code Lavender programs to be successful in hospitals and other healthcare environments to be successful, there are a few things to keep in mind:
- The work culture needs to be kept in mind. If there is a workaholic, hero culture in the hospital, caregivers are less likely to recognize and admit they need help. Breaking down these unhealthy cultural artefacts in healthcare will help the sustainability of Code Lavender programs.
- Make the ability to call Code Lavender teams as easy as any other hospital emergency code in the facility. It’s imperative that when a doctor, nurse or other caregiver needs emotional support that they don’t have to hunt down someone for help. At Cleveland Clinic, they respond within 30 minutes of a request across multiple hospital campuses, and that’s a pretty remarkable rapid-response timeline for eight disparate locations.
- Code Lavender requires education of staff and volunteers, and, according to Nursing2018 article, “Code Lavender: A tool for staff support,” by Rabbi Susan B. Stone, DDiv, BCC, additional research such as longitudinal studies that can watch Code Lavender and control groups of caregivers over time can be very informative for hospitals.
As noted in study, “Code Lavender: Cultivating Intentional Acts of Kindness in Response to Stressful Work Situations,” published in the journal, Explore,
Of those who received the Code Lavender intervention; 100% found it helpful, and 84% would recommend it to others. No significant changes were demonstrated before and after the intervention in ProQoL scores or job satisfaction, however the emotion of feeling cared-for improved.
It shows that there is a strong case for Code Lavender in hospitals and other healthcare settings, and as more evidence-based relaxation and restoration interventions are brought into these crisis situations in healthcare, the better the outcomes for caregivers in the long-term.
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The next time you are at a hospital, pay attention to whether you hear any codes called, and whether a Code Lavender is communicated over the speaker system. If you do hear one, let us know in the comments! We’ll know a healthcare provider is being cared for and they need all the care they can get so they can keep caring for us in our times of need.