Press Release
MORE THAN 3.35 MILLION HEALTH WORKERS NOW PRACTICE IN STATES AND SYSTEMS THAT SUPPORT THEIR MENTAL HEALTH
Wellbeing First Champion Challenge Program Recognizes 74 Licensure Boards and 3,392 Hospitals and Care Facilities for their Commitment to Equal Privacy in Mental Health Care for Health Workers
Charlottesville, Va., May 27, 2026 – The ALL IN: Wellbeing First for Healthcare coalition, led by the Dr. Lorna Breen Heroes’ Foundation, today announced that more than 3.35 million health workers now practice in states or systems that no longer include stigmatizing and intrusive mental health questions on their licensing and credentialing applications, creating a safer path to care. During Mental Health Awareness Month in May, this progress marks a vital continuation of the work to ensure the people who care for our communities can care for themselves without fear of professional repercussions.
As of May 15, 2026, the coalition’s Wellbeing First Champion Challenge program has verified that 8 dental licensure boards, 44 medical licensure boards, 9 nursing licensure boards, 11 pharmacy licensure boards, and 2 specialty licensure boards—benefiting nearly 2.8 million licensed health workers—have ensured their applications do not include intrusive, stigmatizing mental health and substance use questions. Additionally, 1,427 hospitals, freestanding emergency departments, and freestanding surgery centers, as well as 1,965 urgent care centers and independent primary care clinics have verified their credentialing applications—benefiting nearly 500,000 credentialed health workers.
“The 3.35 million health workers who now have a safer path to mental health care are the heart of this movement—they are our friends, family, and colleagues who no longer have to choose between their jobs and their health,” said Corey Feist, co-founder and CEO of the Dr. Lorna Breen Heroes’ Foundation. “As we recognize Mental Health Awareness Month, we are reminded that our healthcare workforce deserves the same grace they give their patients every day. It’s heartening to see that grace translated into real-world progress, with half a million health workers now protected at the credentialing level as more hospitals and care facilities champion mental health care and privacy.”
This movement continues to reach deeper into community-based care settings that serve as the front lines for millions of patients. MinuteClinic has verified its credentialing applications across its national network, making it the first national retail medical clinic to earn the Wellbeing First Champion recognition. Additionally, AdventHealth has successfully audited and updated its credentialing applications across its system with hospitals in nine states, including Florida, North Carolina, Texas, and Wisconsin, ensuring its workforce is supported when seeking care for a mental health condition or substance use disorder.
Evidence of Change: How Supporting Mental Health Privacy Protects Healers and Patients
Becoming a Wellbeing First Champion is a critical first step toward a larger cultural shift, and new findings from a survey conducted by ALL IN coalition member American Medical Association (AMA) in partnership with the Foundation show that this strategy is working. By analyzing the experiences of 50 health systems that have successfully updated their credentialing applications, survey findings provide a clear picture of the benefits that follow when a system prioritizes health workers’ mental health privacy:
- A Clear Path to Care: 41% of health systems reported a positive impact on the use of mental health support services provided by their organization after making the change.
- Easing Concerns Over Liability and Safety: No health systems reported that making these changes had a negative impact on risk, liability, or patient safety. In fact, 1 in 3 systems (28-30%) reported a positive impact on the organization’s ability to manage risk and liability and on patient safety and health outcomes.
- The Power of Communication and Education: The findings show that of the systems that saw a positive impact on health workers using mental health support services, the majority (64%) of them were the ones who also proactively communicated about the change to their workforce during recruitment and/or onboarding.
Join the Movement
The ALL IN: Wellbeing First for Healthcare coalition invites all licensure boards, health systems, medical groups, health plans, and professional liability insurance companies to participate in the Wellbeing First Champion Challenge program. Through the program, leaders can access free resources and technical assistance to complete the four step journey to become a Wellbeing First Champion: audit, revise, verify, and communicate.
To explore current Champions or to become a Wellbeing First Champion, visit www.drlornabreen.org/removebarriers.
“During Mental Health Awareness Month, it is encouraging to see more states, hospitals and care facilities taking steps to better support the mental health of physicians and healthcare workers,” said Bobby Mukkamala, MD, president of the American Medical Association. “Every licensing board, hospital or health system that makes these updates represents meaningful progress. Health systems are seeing the value of creating a culture where people feel safe asking for help, whether they are struggling with mental health challenges or a substance use disorder, and more workers are using the support services available to them. That kind of progress is long overdue in healthcare.”
“The wellbeing of PAs and other healthcare providers is not a separate priority—it is the foundation of exceptional patient care,” said Jennifer Kolb, DMSc, PA-C, DFAAPA, chief medical officer of the American Academy of Physician Associates (AAPA). “PAs dedicate their careers to caring for patients and communities while often navigating extraordinary demands themselves. AAPA is proud to support efforts that ensure healthcare professionals can seek mental health care without fear of stigma or professional consequences, helping build a healthier, more resilient workforce for the future.”
“Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists and Registered Resident Nurse Anesthetists work in demanding environments and spend their careers caring for others. They should be able to seek mental health support without worrying about stigma or professional consequences. The American Association of Nurse Anesthesiology is proud to be a member of the ALL IN: Wellbeing First for Healthcare coalition and to advance efforts to remove unnecessary barriers in licensure and credentialing. This progress helps protect clinicians’ privacy, supports their wellbeing, and strengthens the care they provide to patients,” said Jeff Molter, MSN, MBA, CRNA, President, American Association of Nurse Anesthesiology.
“ACEP is proud of the progress we have made with our coalition partners to ensure healthcare workers across the country can seek mental health care without fear of stigma or professional repercussions,” said L. Anthony Cirillo, MD, FACEP, President of the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP). “We will keep pushing to dismantle obstacles to care and foster a culture where emergency physicians and other healthcare professionals are encouraged to get the support they need.”
“Supporting surgeon mental health strengthens both the surgical workforce and the care we deliver. As a member of the ALL IN coalition, the American College of Surgeons supports efforts to empower all healthcare professionals to seek care without fear. We need to eliminate stigmatizing language from licensure and credentialing applications to improve access to mental health resources so that our healthcare workforce can thrive and, in turn, provide patients with the highest quality surgical care,” said Halle Ellison, MD, FACS, American College of Surgeons ALL IN Coalition Representative.
“Research shows that physicians avoid seeking mental healthcare due to the discriminatory practice of asking about prior psychiatric treatment and diagnoses. Avoiding mental healthcare is a potent risk factor for suicide among healthcare professionals. AFSP supports the critical step of changing the process for hospital privileging and medical license applications to focus on safety (not private health information) and protect their mental health as part of health,” said American Foundation for Suicide Prevention CMO Dr. Christine Yu Moutier.
“Healthcare is the recipe for individual and collective liberation. When we leave workers out of the equation, we negate a necessary ingredient to this formula. To truly reflect the system we dream of- the one we hope to embody to patients and communities- we must have enough integrity within the system itself to do so. For AMSA, being a part of the ALL IN Coalition provides medical students the hope of a future they deserve- one that ensures trust is centered in their training, so that their sense of purpose and safety do not become silenced and that stigma for experiencing the same emotions as any other human does not jeopardize their futures- but instead, invites dialogue, compassion and respite. This is human rights for healthcare workers- and this is what the Dr. Lorna Breen Heroes’ Foundation does,” said Donya Ahmadian, MS, MPH, Director of Legislative Affairs, American Medical Student Association.
“Every day, nurses and other health workers show up for their patients with clinical expertise, compassion, and courage, and they deserve the same dignity and privacy when they need care themselves,” said Jennifer Mensik Kennedy, PhD, MBA, RN, NEA-BC, FAAN, president of the American Nurses Association. “The Wellbeing First Champion Challenge proves that cultivating a working environment where seeking help is seen as a sign of strength can be done. This progress, now reaching more than 3.35 million health workers, moves us closer to a healthcare system that truly supports and values the people who sustain it.”
“As an association, ENA emphasizes the need for our community – emergency and forensic nurses who often work in high-stress environments – to take care of themselves, including their mental health. They need assurance they can seek help when they need it without stigma or repercussions,” said ENA President Dustin Bass, DNP, MHA, RN, CEN, NEA-BC. “As a member of the ALL IN Coalition, ENA applauds the credentialing bodies and hospital leaders who eliminate stigmatizing language and intrusive mental health questions from their applications and who actively support the health of all their employees.”
“The Federation of State Physician Health Programs is in awe of the extraordinary impact of the Dr. Lorna Breen Heroes’ Foundation and the Wellbeing First Champion Challenge in advancing a culture of support and safety for health workers. We are proud to stand alongside this effort to reduce stigma by promoting thoughtful reform of health questions and increasing awareness of the critical role Physician and Healthcare Professional Programs play. Early, confidential referral to a PHP—before impairment—can protect a clinician’s licensure, wellbeing, and career, while ensuring patient safety. Together, this work is helping to create a healthcare environment where seeking care is recognized as a sign of strength, not risk,” said Edwin Kim, MD, FSPHP President and Medical Director of the Pennsylvania Physician Health Program.
“Dr. Lorna Breen was one of us, a woman emergency medicine physician whose life was shaped by the very stigma this movement exists to dismantle. Her mental health struggle did not arise in a vacuum; it was rooted in the occupational hazards that every emergency physician carries, often in silence. At FemInEM, we are proud to stand with the Dr. Lorna Breen Heroes’ Foundation to remove the barriers that keep health workers from accessing the care they need, to change the culture of shame that has surrounded mental health in medicine for too long, and to go upstream to address the systemic conditions that put our healthcare professionals at risk in the first place. Lorna’s legacy deserves nothing less,” said Dr. Andrea Austin, Co-Director of Wellbeing and Workplace Strategic Advising, FemInEM.
“What’s especially encouraging is that we’re now seeing evidence that removing barriers creates a clear, trusted path for people to care for themselves, so they no longer must choose between their health and their profession. This isn’t just the right thing to do; it’s making a meaningful difference,” said Patricia McGaffigan, MS, RN, CPPS, CPHFH, CPAFH, Senior Advisor, Safety President, Certification Board for Professionals in Patient Safety, Institute for Healthcare Improvement.
“The health and wellbeing of those who care for patients is of prime importance to us at Medicine Forward. Mental health is every bit as important as physical health, yet it is still often stigmatized and inadequately addressed. Ensuring access to quality care and support for those suffering from mental health issues is vital — both for caregivers and for those they serve. We at Medicine Forward appreciate the critical efforts and achievements of ALL IN, and encourage participation in their Wellbeing First Champion Challenge program. Congratulations to ALL IN on your accomplishments. Healthcare workers and patients alike owe you a debt of gratitude, as do we,” said Paul Harkaway, MD, Medicine Forward.
“Athletic trainers cannot fully care for others if they are discouraged from caring for themselves. NATA is proud to support efforts that create a safer, healthier pathways for athletic trainers and all healthcare professionals to access mental health care,” said President A.J. Duffy, III, MS, ATC, PT, National Athletic Trainers’ Association (NATA).
“The importance of identifying and addressing proper avenues for the mental health and wellbeing of our caregivers is clear. All who lead our healthcare teams, large and small, must commit to this effort, not just because it is the right thing to do, but because it is now well established as a pathway to the quality and cost effectiveness of the care our patients receive. Going forward, effective leadership will require recognition of this critical dimension in achieving the margins and mission of a successful delivery system,” said Gary Price, MD, MBA, President, The Physicians Foundation.
If you or someone you know may be in a crisis, call or text 988 or chat 988lifeline.org.
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About ALL IN: Wellbeing First for Healthcare
ALL IN: Wellbeing First for Healthcare, led by the Dr. Lorna Breen Heroes’ Foundation, is a coalition of national organizations dedicated to advancing a state where the healthcare workforce’s wellbeing is prioritized, and health workers feel valued and supported so they can sustain their sense of purpose and meaning in their work. Coalition members include American Academy of Physician Associates, American Association of Colleges of Nursing, American Association of Nurse Anesthesiology, American Association of Nurse Practitioners, American College of Emergency Physicians, American College of Surgeons, American Dental Association, American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, America’s Health Insurance Plans, American Hospital Association, American Medical Association, American Medical Student Association, American Nurses Association, American Nurses Credentialing Center, American Psychiatric Association Foundation, American Society of Health-System Pharmacists, American Urological Association, CAA Foundation, CHARM, Emergency Nurses Association, Epic, Federation of State Physician Health Programs, FEMinEM, Federation of State Medical Boards, FIGS, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Heart of Safety Coalition, Institute for Healthcare Improvement, Johnson & Johnson Foundation, Medicine Forward, Moral Injury of Healthcare, National Athletic Trainers Association, National Black Nurses Association, National Medical Association, Philippine Nurses Association of America, The Physicians Foundation, The Schwartz Center for Compassionate Healthcare, Surgeon Well-Being Coalition, and Thrive Global Foundation.