Remove Barriers to Mental Health Care for Health Workers
Like everyone, health workers deserve the right to pursue mental health care without fear of losing their job. However, overly invasive mental health questions in licensing and credentialing applications prevent health workers from seeking support and increase the risk of suicide.
Such questioning tends to be broad or stigmatizing, such as asking about past mental health care and treatment, which has no bearing on a health worker’s ability to provide care and violates the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Ensuring that health workers can access mental health care when needed not only benefits their wellbeing, but it also improves the health of our entire country.
Join us in removing this substantial barrier to mental health care for our health workers!
Wellbeing First Champion Challenge
The Wellbeing First Champion Challenge program supports licensure boards, hospitals, and health systems in auditing and changing (as needed) all their applications, forms, and addendums to be free of intrusive mental health questions and stigmatizing language. Once the applications are verified, licensure boards, hospitals, and health systems are recognized as a Wellbeing First Champion.
Login now to access our free toolkit and the verification submission form! For first-time login, please select you’re here for the Credentialing or Licensing Toolkit accordingly.
The Wellbeing First Champion Badge serves as a visual recognition for health workers.
When health workers are deciding in which state or organization to work, the Badge serves as a standardized form of communication that a location will not require health workers to answer intrusive mental health questions.
The State of Our States
Wellbeing First Champions for Licensing
As of September 1, 2024, 1 dental licensure board, 29 medical licensure boards, and 4 nursing licensure boards verified their licensing applications do not include intrusive mental health questions—benefiting more than 1.1 million licensed health workers. Coming soon: pharmacy licensure boards.
Click an icon below to view the state of the states for each profession and explore state-specific information by clicking on an individual state.
- States where Dental Boards' initial and renewal DMD/DDS and RDH/LDH applications are consistent with recommendations
- States where Medical Boards' initial and renewal MD and DO applications are consistent with recommendations
- States where Nursing Boards' initial and renewal RN, LPN, and APRN applications are consistent with recommendations
- States where Pharmacy Boards’ initial and renewal PharmD and RPhT applications are consistent with recommendations
Wellbeing First Champions for Credentialing
As of September 1, 2024, 375 hospitals (up from 75 last year) verified their credentialing applications do not include intrusive mental health questions—benefiting more than 115,000 credentialed health workers. Also, 1 insurance company (PacificSource Health Plans) verified their credentialing applications. Additionally, Jackson and Coker Locums Tenens and Envision Healthcare verified their internal applications and forms—benefiting 17,300 health workers.
Click a state on the map below to explore state-specific information.
- States where hospitals' credentialing applications are consistent with recommendations
Become a Wellbeing First Champion
For licensure boards, hospitals, and health systems who are ALL IN for prioritizing their workforce’s mental health and wellbeing, verify your applications now to be recognized as a Wellbeing First Champion.
Login now to access the submission form! For first-time login, please select you’re here for the Credentialing or Licensing Toolkit accordingly.
ALL IN: Wellbeing First for Healthcare, a coalition led by the Dr. Lorna Breen Heroes’ Foundation, brings together healthcare organizations committed to advancing solutions for health worker well being and mental health, including the Wellbeing First Champion Challenge program. Learn more and join us at allinforhealthcare.org.
The Dr. Lorna Breen Heroes’ Foundation expresses its immense gratitude to coalition member, the American Medical Association, whose dedication, time, and support make this program and impact possible.