MINNEAPOLIS (Oct. 17, 2024) — Allina Health has been recognized as a 2024 Wellbeing First Champion by ALL IN: Wellbeing First for Healthcare. As a Wellbeing First Champion, Allina Health has verified that all initial and follow up credentialing applications are free from intrusive and stigmatizing language around mental health and addiction care and treatment. This means that health care providers at Allina Health can seek needed care without fear of losing their license or job.
“At Allina Health we value our role as a mental health and addiction provider where people in the community can find support if they’re facing any mental health or addiction struggle. And it is just as important that we are looking at ways to be there for our physicians and advanced practice professionals,” said Dr. Mary Beth Lardizabal, System Medical Director of the Allina Health Center for Provider Well-Being. “Those who care for others must first care for themselves, and together we can take steps to de-stigmatize mental health and addiction needs.”
Verification that all invasive or stigmatizing language around mental health and addiction have been removed from applications are confirmed annually by ALL IN: Wellbeing First for Healthcare, a coalition of leading health care organizations that work to eliminate barriers for health workers to obtain needed mental health care.
“Across the country, health workers are at an increased risk for burnout and mental health conditions,” said Corey Feist, co-founder of ALL IN: Wellbeing First for Healthcare and CEO of the Dr. Lorna Breen Heroes' Foundation. “Many health workers feel they cannot speak up about their mental health without being criticized by colleagues or losing their jobs. Today, physicians and nurses die by suicide at two times the rate of the general population. We as a nation must better protect these lives, and I applaud Allina Health for its leadership to support the well-being of health workers.”