Duke Health and Atrium Health Honored as 2025 Wellbeing First Champions
At the North Carolina Hospital Association’s (NCHA) Summer Meeting, Duke Health and Atrium Health were named 2025 Wellbeing First Champion Award recipients by the North Carolina Clinician and Physician Retention and Wellbeing (NCCPRW) Consortium and the national Dr. Lorna Breen Heroes’ Foundation.
This award recognizes hospitals that have taken significant action to remove stigmatizing language related to mental health from their credentialing applications—a key step in making it easier for clinicians to seek the help they need without fear of professional repercussions.
With the inclusion of Duke and Atrium, 79 hospitals across North Carolina have now committed to this important reform, supporting health workers’ ability to access care when they need it most.
“This is more than a paperwork change—it’s a culture shift,” said Monecia R. Thomas, Executive Director of NCCPRW. “By removing unnecessary barriers to care, we’re protecting not just the wellbeing of our clinicians, but also the quality of care they provide to patients across the state.”
Ensuring that health workers can seek mental health care without stigma is a critical step toward building a healthier, more resilient healthcare workforce—and a healthier North Carolina.
Join Us in the movement or to learn more about our work state-wide.
The NCCPRW Consortium encourages all hospitals and health systems to take this step. Reviewing and revising credentialing forms to eliminate stigmatizing language helps protect clinicians’ mental health and strengthens the entire care delivery system.
Atrium Photo
• Corey Feist, JD, MBA, Founder/Chief Executive Officer, Dr Lorna Breen Heroes Foundation
• Andrea S. Fernandez, MD, MA, FACOG, Chief Medical Officer, Atrium Health – Wake Forest Baptist Market & Clinical Professor of Ob/Gyn, Wake Forest University School of Medicine
• Monecia R Thomas, PhD, MHA, Executive Director of NCCPRW & VP of Professional Growth at NCMS
Duke Photo
• Corey Feist, JD, MBA, Founder/Chief Executive Officer, Dr Lorna Breen Heroes Foundation
• Uzuri Holder, Program Manager and a licensed clinical social worker
• Charles Mallett, MBA, Sr. HR Business Partner at Duke University Hospital
• Thomas A. Owens, MD, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, Duke University Health System & Associate Professor of Medicine and Pediatrics, Duke University School of Medicine
• Monecia R Thomas, PhD, MHA, Executive Director of NCCPRW & VP of Professional Growth at NCMS