How Burn Centers Can Get Involved with the Phoenix Society SOAR Program

For burn survivors who are reeling from the early implications of their treatment and recovery, community is everything. Learning from and listening to peers in the community can offer healing and comfort at a time when survivors need it most. 

But where to begin? For most burn survivors, their real journey starts at the hospital, when they first receive news about the severity of their burns and their preliminary treatment plan. There’s so much information and content to digest within a short time, and burn survivors can easily feel overwhelmed without the right support system. 

This article explains how burn centers can get involved with the Phoenix Society’s Phoenix SOAR Program to provide immediate, relevant peer support for their patients when they need it most.

Through the program, Phoenix SOAR peer supporters offer knowledge, compassion, and a listening ear as those new to the community grapple with their new reality. Peer supporters participate in a training program to provide the best assistance. Training courses are now completely virtual and offered on a prescheduled basis. The curriculum includes four hours of course modules, along with quizzes and live coursework. 

What are the benefits of joining SOAR as a hospital?

As the first point of contact with burn survivors, hospitals want to know how they can best support their patients. Aside from the immediate emotional assistance peer burn survivors provide, organizations like CHI Health have experienced other long-term benefits as well. 

Improved Survivor Outcomes

As a study published in the Journal of Burn Care and Research concluded, Phoenix SOAR support groups and individual pairings foster psychological and emotional healing for burn survivors. And as additional scientific studies have revealed, there is indeed a correlation between psychological distress and longer hospital stays following a burn injury, where longer stays indicate longer wound healing time. 

Volunteers to Assist the Burn Team

Another benefit for hospitals is the opportunity to train peer support volunteers as an extension of the burn team. Whereas medical professionals are equipped to manage and monitor the physical treatment of their burn patients, peer supporters can step in to offer emotional support. Together, these teams can mediate and strategize recovery that is holistic and in keeping with a burn survivor’s overall mental, emotional, and physical well-being. 

Structured Volunteer Programming

Phoenix SOAR is just the entry point for many health organizations that hope to enlist the services of volunteer programs. Since Phoenix SOAR is a well-established volunteer program, hospitals and clinics have the added benefit of learning from and incorporating the tools and training Phoenix SOAR uses to educate new volunteers.

We’re proud to partner with 70+ burn centers across the United States and Canada to bring the emotional and psychological peer support so many burn survivors need. Learn more about our process and how you can get started. 

Application and Screening Process

Health organizations that wish to partner with Phoenix SOAR must first fill out an application. The preliminary requirements include:

• Obtain a letter of support from the medical director of the burn program. 

• Identify a minimum of two lead coordinators. One coordinator must be a member of the burn team. 

• Obtain financial commitment from administration. 

• Pay a one-time start-up fee of $4,000. This fee covers:

• Two virtual trainings: an initial Phoenix SOAR Coordinator training and Peer Supporter training 

  • Note: Both Coordinator and Peer Supporter trainings must be completed within one year of program initiation 

• Materials for the initial coordinator and peer supporter trainings 

• The opportunity to participate in national research groups for Phoenix SOAR 

• After the start-up fee, pay a $750 annual fee and submit annual program reports to maintain active program status.

Curriculum

Curriculum topics for the Phoenix SOAR Peer Support training course include the following:

• Information about the program 

• Model of recovery process for patients and families

• The role and responsibilities of a peer supporter (boundaries, ethics) 

• Tips for working in a hospital setting 

• Communication skills for peer supporters

• Communication skills for helping roles

• Education on how to make referrals, handle difficult situations, and offer peer support via virtual connection

If you want to learn more about bringing the Phoenix Society’s SOAR program to your area, we’d be happy to discuss. Get in touch with our team to learn more about the peer programming that may be right for you.