With staffing shortages, aging population, and increasing administrative demands placed on healthcare professionals, the healthcare workforce is facing an increase in burnout, moral injury, and an overall decline to their well-being. These issues can escalate, potentially having severe consequences such as suicide or suicidal ideations.
For clinicians, this problem is intensified by intrusive questions regarding their mental health history on licensing and credentialing applications. Many fear that acknowledging a history of mental health treatment could jeopardize their ability to practice medicine.
The Dr. Lorna Breen Heroes’ Foundation, established in memory of Dr. Lorna Breen, envisions a world where seeking mental health care is recognized as a sign of strength. Through their efforts, they aim to create safer, more supportive environments for the healthcare workforce.
The Foundation’s mission is to reduce burnout of health care professionals and safeguard their well-being and job satisfaction.
Strategic initiatives for health worker well-being.
The Foundation has identified key areas to create a lasting impact on the challenges faced by health workers. Many issues clinicians are facing stem from the administrative policies and practices of providing care. Before they can begin working in a new state or organization, they need to overcome barriers, some of which are considered invasive to their mental health history. The Foundation serves as an advisor to healthcare organizations to help them update these questions from their screening process so they can work without fear of repercussion.
Recognizing the need for systemic change, the Foundation is also collaborating with partners to address these challenges on the federal government level. On March 18, 2022, the Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act was signed into law. The act supports the mental health and well-being of health workers through establishing grants for evidence-informed training tailored to early-career practitioners. It also prioritizes disseminating education and best practices to reduce and prevent suicide and burnout among health care professionals.
The anniversary of the Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act is now recognized as Health Workforce Well-Being Day. This day serves as a powerful reminder of the burnout crisis facing U.S. health workers and the urgent need to create lasting solutions.
The Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act is currently up for reauthorization. You can be part of helping continue this work by sending a message to your representatives.
What health care organizations can do.
Implement ALL IN: Caring for Caregivers (C4C)
ALL IN: Caring for Caregivers helps healthcare organizations, including hospitals, clinics, medical groups, and even corporate organizations like Jackson and Coker, improve workplace policies in order to minimize burnout and normalize seeking mental health care. This program is guided by experts and includes strategies from the Impact Wellbeing™ Guide.
Wellbeing First Champion Challenge
Wellbeing First Champion Challenge
The Wellbeing First Champion Challenge guides licensure boards, hospitals, health systems, and health plans to audit and change their applications, forms, and addendums to remove intrusive mental health questions and stigmatizing language. Once the invasive questions and language is removed, the organization can be recognized as a Wellbeing First Champion. As of February 20, 2025, 34 state medical licensure boards, 521 hospitals, two insurance companies, and one locum tenens company, Jackson and Coker, have been recognized as Wellbeing First Champions.
A partnership that cares.
Jackson and Coker has partnered with the Dr. Lorna Breen Heroes’ Foundation to amplify their mission of reducing burnout amongst healthcare professionals. Since partnering with the Foundation in 2024, we removed intrusive and stigmatizing language around mental health care and treatment from our internal insurance applications and reference forms and have been named a Wellbeing First Champion.
Our partnership with the Foundation has gone beyond removing invasive language and has become a key part of our recruiter’s daily conversations with clinicians. For example, recruiting consultant Steven Smith has changed the way he approaches his work. Since launching our partnership with the Foundation, Steven now focuses on the clinician’s well-being in addition to their professional needs.
"Since our partnership with the Dr. Lorna Breen Heroes’ Foundation began, it’s added a genuine human touch to our business. I believe that while clinicians are often seen as heroes, they're also people with lives outside of work. I've learned to listen more deeply to their personal needs—not just their professional ones."
Become a Wellbeing First Champion.
We encourage you to address any potentially invasive language present in your organization’s onboarding and credentialing processes. Taking this action not only safeguards your staff but also demonstrates a commitment to the well-being of the healthcare workforce. Reach out to us to initiate the process.
