The open, airy, light-filled St. Matthias Church, a modern eight-sided house of worship with both stained glass windows and clear glass windows, served as a wonderful setting for the inspiring White Mass. This year’s Mass was held on the third Sunday of Easter and was celebrated in a sanctuary filled with beautiful spring flowers — white Easter lilies, white hydrangeas, pink azaleas, and yellow tulips. A white banner proclaimed “The Year of Faith.”

The Most Reverend Michael R. Cote, D.D., Bishop of Norwich, the principal celebrant, welcomed the White Mass attendees — men and women of all ages, including physicians, specialists, nurses, therapists, technicians, chaplains, and hospital administrators, some even dressed in white lab coats, coming to and from their various work shifts.

“We come together to restore our hope and our faith,” Bishop Cote told the healthcare employees in attendance.

Deacon William H. McGann, III, of Our Lady of Lourdes Church in Gales Ferry, served as the homilist. He noted that April 15, tax day, is a day of reckoning. Similarly, he said, those who have experienced the three Sacraments of Initiation — Baptism, the Eucharist, and Confirmation — also have dues to pay.

“The tax that we owe is a positive contribution to building up God’s kingdom through our own acts of love,” Deacon McGann explained.

“Practice not just by government and professional standards, but by those of Christ,” he advised.

“We must obey God rather than men,” the Deacon said. He suggested all healthcare providers turn to the Eucharist as their source of strength. “May God give you the strength to speak out freely.”

Finally, Deacon McGann asked the healthcare employees to exemplify the joy of those who know they are redeemed. “We cannot lead others to Jesus Christ unless we show others that we are blessed and know God’s goodness and love,” he said.

Following the homily, White Mass attendees were treated to beautiful and contemplative instrumental music by the Connecticut String Trio. The day’s music program also included performances by the Saint Matthias Church Choir, who sang “Regina Caeli” a cappella, as well as Beethoven’s expansive “Hymn to Joy” while accompanied by organ and strings.

After the White Mass, Brunch immediately followed in the Saint Matthias Church Hall. Bishop Cote offered the invocation prayer saying, “We thank you for these healthcare workers and the healing they bring.”

After a time of fellowship and food, featured speaker Setu Vora, M.D., spoke on the topic of “Mindfulness in Medicine.” Dr. Vora is the Medical Director of Critical Care at Backus Hospital in Norwich as well as the Hospital’s Quality and Safety Officer. He is an internist who specializes in pulmonary care, critical care, and sleep medicine. He lives in East Lyme, and is a parishioner of St. Matthias Church.

Dr. Vora cited statistics from the World Health Organization and the Centers for Disease Control showing that the majority of deaths in the U.S. today are lifestyle diseases. “We’re often too busy to take time for ourselves,” Dr. Vora explained.

High-stress, busy lifestyles plague healthcare workers as well as the general public. “We live in chaos, and that’s life,” Dr. Vora said, citing cell phones, overhead pages, and multitasking on the job. “But societal expectations have not changed. We are still expected to be smart, affable, and available.”

Healthcare providers are working harder than ever but experiencing diminishing returns, he said. In one study, 87% of physicians reported moderate to high burnout rates. In the same study, nurses reported a 40% burnout rate.

All this multitasking on the job also spells unintended consequences for patient care. Dr. Vora cited statistics published in the book “To Err is Human: Building a Safer Health System,” which estimated that approximately 100,000 patients die annually in hospitals due to preventable errors. The moments of admission and discharge, when the workload is up, are when the margin of safety is at its lowest, Dr. Vora said.

“The underlying theme is stress — the rust of life, the oxidation of species that corrodes our cells and our life,” Dr. Vora said.

This stress occurs in all facets of the healthcare profession. “When people are engaged in cognitive tasks, we interrupt. We do not respect the attention that is needed of our nurses and our colleagues,” Dr. Vora stated. “It’s surprising how well we do in light of all these interruptions.”

The risks of multitasking are high, Dr. Vora said. Multitasking has been shown to result in a 40% forget rate and it may take as long as 10 to 15 minutes for workers to refocus attention after a phone call.

Dr. Vora also referenced the book “Thinking Fast and Slow” by Daniel Kahneman, which details two systems of thinking: System 1, which is intuitive and involves snap judgments, and System 2, which is slower and uses more logic and reasoning. System 1 can be good 95% of the time, Dr. Vora said, but it can also lead to errors 5% of the time.

“In the case of medical diagnostic errors, the problem is often that we did not connect the dots,” Dr. Vora explained. “Our mind is still focused on the last problem we dealt with. Or we came to a premature closure — we came to a conclusion too soon.”

To improve cognitive performance in high-stress healthcare settings, Dr. Vora recommended the following:

• Employ emergence. Emergence in the workplace is the seemingly coordinated movement of a group that is not controlled by any leader. This often takes place in healthcare settings and can be effective if you follow simple rules, rely on the power of habits and rituals, know the cues, and respond to them, Dr. Vora said.
• Be mindful. “Mindfulness is an inclination to be aware, to be present, to be alive, to be conscious,” Dr. Vora explained.
• Meditate. “Develop the desire to meditate,” Dr. Vora said. Studies have shown that in the short term, meditation improves attention and focus on the task at hand. It also cuts down on the firing of the amygdala area of the brain improving cognition, specifically decision making, memory, global thinking, concentration, open-mindedness, and critical thinking.
• Show respect. Respect your colleagues, your patients, and yourselves. Focus on the intention to love, to be merciful, to not judge, to not condemn, to forgive and to give, Dr. Vora said.
• Practice 5.15.30, menu, mind, and move. “Eat 5 fruits and veggies a day, practice 15 minutes of meditation, and get 30 minutes of exercise,” Dr. Vora advised. “This is a prescription.”
• Practice mindful medicine. Keep the acronym CHAMP in mind, Dr. Vora said. Communicate clearly. Handoff effectively. Attention to detail. Mentor each other. Practice a questioning attitude; validate and verify.
• Focus on the rational process. “Ask yourself ‘What’s going on? Why did this happen,’” Dr. Vora advised.
• Use a microscope. Apply the concept of the power of the microscope at four key times during patient care. “Always go with the lowest power first, during diagnosis, delivery of care, at the time of documentation, and at the time of disposition,” Dr. Vora stressed.
• Ask for Divine Mercy. “We are the recipients of this majestic power and loving grace and kindness,” Dr. Vora said. “Reflect this love and grace at home and at work. Radiate it outward to others.”

In conclusion Dr. Vora said, “Our Holy Father, Pope Francis, got it right. ‘With tenderness and love, open up a horizon of hope.’”