NYC Health + Hospitals Recognized as a 2026 Wellbeing First Championship, Supporting Healthcare Worker Wellbeing
The health system earned the award by removing invasive mental health questions on physician credentialing applications
The Physicians Foundation's 2026 survey found more than one-third of physicians say they were afraid, or know a colleague who was afraid, to seek mental health care because of questions about mental health on medical licensure, credentialing, or insurance applications.
NYC Health + Hospitals' Helping Healers Heal program complements efforts to reduce stigma and barriers to mental health care by fostering a culture where seeking support is encouraged and physicians' well-being is prioritized
Oct 26, 2026
NYC Health + Hospitals today announced it has been recognized by ALL IN: WellBeing First for Healthcare as a 2026 Wellbeing First Champion. This is the third year in a row that NYC Health + Hospitals has been awarded this special recognition for its leadership in removing invasive mental health questions from physician applications for medical licensure, credentialing, and insurance. Removing intrusive, stigmatizing mental health and substance use questions is an important step in supporting health workers’ access to care and treatment. However, ongoing, consistent communication is critical for destigmatizing mental health care and treatment for substance use disorders for health workers and actively addressing their fear of professional repercussions.
According to a 2026 survey by the Physicians Foundation:
- 71% of physicians say there is still stigma surrounding mental health and seeking mental health care among physicians
- 36% say they were afraid, or know a colleague who was afraid, to seek mental health care because of questions about mental health on medical licensure, credentialing, or insurance applications
- 34% know a physician who has died by suicide
- 58% experienced debilitating stress
- 60% experienced inappropriate feelings of anger, tearfulness, or anxiety in the past year
- 55% often experience burnout.
As a Wellbeing First Champion, all NYC Health + Hospitals credentialing applications have been verified as continuing to be free of any intrusive and stigmatizing language around mental health care and treatment. Verification is 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 access mental health care.
“Our most important asset at NYC Health + Hospitals is our staff,” said Omar Fattal, MD, MPH, Chief Behavioral Health Officer at NYC Health + Hospitals. “We are proud to be recognized for the third year in a row for removing invasive questions from physician applications. Supporting our physicians is central to our mission, and by using non-stigmatizing language, we empower them to seek the care they need so they can continue delivering the best possible care to all New Yorkers.”
“At NYC Health + Hospitals, we are committed to creating an environment where physicians can seek support without fear of stigma or judgment,” said Sewit Teckie, MD, MBA, Senior Vice President and System Chief Medical Officer for Clinical Affairs and Clinical Business Strategy. “Recognition for our use of noninvasive language in physician applications reflects our supportive culture. We want our physicians to thrive and continue to deliver high-quality care to all New Yorkers.”
“The 2026 Wellbeing First Champion recognition reinforces an important truth: creating a healthier workforce requires us to examine not only the support we offer, but also the systems and practices that may unintentionally stand in the way of people seeking that support,” said Jeremy Segall, MA, RDT, LCAT, FPCC, System Chief Wellness Officer and Assistant Vice President, Human Experience. “Removing stigmatizing language from credentialing is a meaningful step toward creating an environment where healthcare workers can care for themselves with the same openness and dignity we ask them to extend to others. At NYC Health + Hospitals, we are committed to building a culture where asking for help is normalized, support is accessible, and no one has to choose between their well-being and their professional identity. This recognition is an opportunity to keep advancing that work and to ensure that workforce wellness is embedded in how we lead, practice, and care for one another.”
Through its Helping Healers Heal (H3) program, NYC Health + Hospitals supports physician well-being by addressing stress, burnout, and compassion fatigue. H3 complements efforts to reduce stigma and barriers to mental health care by fostering a culture where seeking support is encouraged and physicians’ well-being is prioritized. It is designed to support the well-being of all staff, clinical and non-clinical, by caring for the whole person through the 8 Dimensions of Wellness (emotional, environmental, intellectual, financial, occupational, physical, social, & spiritual). H3 meets staff where they are and offers support that fits individuals, teams, and work environments. It is not emergency care or therapy, but creates supportive environments that enable staff to care for themselves and one another, to remain resilient, and to perform their roles to the best of their ability, while at work & at home, and in service to the people they serve.
H3 has evolved over the last few years and continues to address the total health of our employees to support (non-exhaustive list) acute reactions to unanticipated and adverse work and personal-life events, stress, anxiety, trauma, compassion fatigue, sadness, and burnout.
A 2025 staff survey confirmed that employees at NYC Health + Hospitals have improved mental health over the past two years. According to the 2025 Employee Feedback Survey, which compared 2023 to 2025 wellness outcomes and heard from nearly 35,700 employee voices:
- Staff report improved mental health:
- 5.7% decrease in staff feeling stress throughout the year
- 8.3% decrease in staff reporting feeling sad/depressed
- 5% decrease in staff reporting anxiety
- 6.5% increase in staff reporting that they have no symptoms of burnout
- 38% increase in staff saying they are completely satisfied with emotional support debriefs following a difficult situation at work or while at home
- More staff are now aware of resources at work to improve their mental health:
- 94% of staff now report they are aware of the H3 program (9.3% increase since 2023)
- 68% of staff reporting that they are willing to utilize the Helping Healers Heal program (23% increase since 2023)
- Consistent increases of staff reporting satisfaction with H3 interventions, including wellness events, wellness rounds, and wellness rooms ranging from 43%-44.8% increases
- 2% increase in staff believing they have more opportunities to de-stress while at work
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About NYC Health + Hospitals
NYC Health + Hospitals is the largest public health care system in the nation serving more than a million New Yorkers annually in more than 70 patient care locations across the city’s five boroughs. A robust network of outpatient, neighborhood-based primary and specialty care centers anchors care coordination with the system’s trauma centers, nursing homes, post-acute care centers, home care agency, and MetroPlusHealth—all supported by 11 essential hospitals. Its diverse workforce of more than 46,000 employees is uniquely focused on empowering New Yorkers, without exception, to live the healthiest life possible. For more information, visit www.nychealthandhospitals.org and stay connected on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.
About ALL IN: WellBeing First for Healthcare
ALL IN: WellBeing First for Healthcare, led by The Dr. Lorna Breen Heroes’ Foundation, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Thrive Global, and CAA Foundation, is a coalition of leading healthcare organizations, including American Association of Colleges of Nurses, American College of Emergency Physicians, American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, American Hospital Association, American Medical Association, The Physicians Foundation, CHARM: The Collaborative for Healing and Renewal in Medicine, Johnson & Johnson: Center for Health Worker Innovation, Institute for Healthcare Improvement, American Nurse Foundation, Medicine Forward, National Black Nurses Association, Philippine Nurses Association of America and Schwartz Center for Compassionate Healthcare. We are committed to advancing a state where the healthcare workforce’s well-being is prioritized, and individual health workers feel valued and supported so they can sustain their sense of purpose and meaning in their work. We work to make beneficial progress against persistent mental health and well-being challenges that disadvantage our health workers, and therefore, our healthcare systems and the future of public health.