This spring the North Carolina Clinician and Physician Retention and Well-being (NCCPRW) Consortium announced a new statewide initiative with the Dr. Lorna Breen Heroes’ Foundation, the only non-profit organization exclusively focused on health worker mental health and well-being. ALL IN: Caring for North Carolina’s Caregivers seeks to support the state’s hospitals and health systems in redesigning their workplace environments to help team members feel valued and supported while creating the best environments to deliver safe, quality patient care.
Chip Baggett, JD, CEO North Carolina Medical Society
“This first-of-its-kind consortium has done incredible work to bring physicians, PAs, nurses and health systems together to promote well-being that goes beyond work-life balance for those who are providing care to others,” said Chip Baggett, JD, CEO of the North Carolina Medical Society. “With the launch of this initiative, we are not only acknowledging but taking action to change our system so we can improve the lives of our caregivers and ultimately health outcomes for their patients.”
Hospitals and health systems participating in the initiative commit to:
Make a public commitment to their workforce’s well-being by eliminating local barriers to mental health care access for licensed health workers.
Participate in a digital curriculum to enhance understanding of the drivers of burnout and successful approaches to improve well-being.
Create and implement a 12-month action plan to accelerate systems change to operational and administrative burdens.
This initiative is being launched with a calling to North Carolina hospitals and health systems to remove one of the most substantial causes to health workers’ poor mental health and well-being – the fear of losing their credentials to work due to overly broad and invasive mental health questions on credentialing applications. These questions are stigmatizing and discriminatory, and they often cause health workers to avoid seeking the mental health care they may need. The hospitals and health systems that audit and change language on credentialing applications will be recognized as being ALL IN for prioritizing clinician well-being and be recognized as a Wellbeing First Champion.
Additionally, many state licensure boards include these stigmatizing and invasive questions around mental health in their applications, which determine whether a health worker is licensed to work in a specific state. North Carolina’s attestation model in physician licensing applications, which uses supportive language around mental health, has served as a gold standard for other states to audit and change their applications. By launching ALL IN: Caring for North Carolina’s Caregivers, North Carolina is expanding on its leadership and commitment to support the mental health and well-being of its healthcare workforce.
Corey Feist, JD, MBA, co-founder and CEO, Dr. Lorna Breen Heroes’ Foundation
“By launching this initiative, we are taking an enormous leap forward to ensure North Carolina’s health workers have healthy, supportive work environments and access to the essential mental health resources they deserve,” said Corey Feist, JD, MBA, co-founder and CEO of the Dr. Lorna Breen Heroes’ Foundation. “The state of North Carolina continues to demonstrate leadership in this space and dedication to the well-being of its health workers.”
For hospitals and health systems interested in being recognized as a Wellbeing First Champion, download the Dr. Lorna Breen Heroes’ Foundation’s toolkit to remove intrusive mental health questions from credentialing applications.
About Dr. Lorna Breen Heroes’ Foundation
The Dr. Lorna Breen Heroes’ Foundation’s vision is a world where seeking mental health care is universally viewed as a sign of strength for health workers. We believe every health worker should have access to the mental health care and professional well-being support that they may need, at every moment in their career. We carry out this mission by accelerating solutions, advancing policies, and making connections that put our healthcare workforce’s well-being first. For more information, visit drlornabreen.org.
About North Carolina Clinician and Physician Retention and Well-being (NCCPRW) Consortium
The North Carolina Clinician and Physician Retention and Well-being Consortium (NCCPRW) is a collaborative initiative aimed at identifying and developing strategies to reduce stress and improve well-being among the healthcare workforce at the individual, organizational, and state level. Founded in 2016 in response to concerns raised by the North Carolina Medical Society (NCMS) regarding invasive language in licensing renewal materials, the Consortium has evolved into a proactive force advocating for the mental health and wellness of healthcare professionals. In 2024, the Consortium transitioned into a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization to further its mission.
