Breaking Down Barriers to Care and Transforming Pharmacy Professionals’ Mental Health

Introduction

Health workers are the backbone of our health care system. They dedicate their lives to caring for others, yet many face a hidden barrier when it comes to taking care of themselves. Like everyone, health workers deserve the right to pursue care without the fear of losing their jobs. However, institutional practices have subjected health workers to overly invasive questions about their mental health in licensing, credentialing, and insurance applications. 

Health care professionals discussing mental health | Image credit: Flashizzle/peopleimages.com | stock.adobe.com

Invasive questions—often broad, stigmatizing, and irrelevant to a health worker’s ability to perform their job—can perpetuate mental health stigma, violate the Americans with Disabilities Act, and contribute to the risk of suicide among health workers. These questions, and the fear of professional repercussions they create, are also key drivers of suicide among health workers, including pharmacy professionals.¹ Recent surveys reveal that over 60% of US clinical pharmacists report experiencing burnout due to systemic factors, and they face a notably higher risk of suicide than the general population.^2,3

In response, the Wellbeing First Champion Challengeby the ALL IN: Wellbeing First for Healthcare coalitionis leading the charge to remove this unnecessary and harmful barrier.⁴ By working with licensure boards, hospitals, health systems, and insurance companies to audit and revise their licensing and credentialing applications, the challenge aims to create a safer, more supportive environment for health workers to access mental health care without fear of judgment or professional repercussions.

What is the Wellbeing First Champion Challenge?

The Wellbeing First Champion Challenge is a groundbreaking program designed to eliminate barriers to mental health care for health workers, including pharmacy professionals. It aims to do this by encouraging licensure boards, hospitals, health systems, and insurance companies to audit their applications and remove intrusive or stigmatizing mental health questions. The challenge is actively working to support pharmacy professionals by collaborating with the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy and state boards of pharmacy to audit and update their licensure applications to align with best practices and not include irrelevant or stigmatizing mental health questions.

Once these applications are reviewed and revised, the organization is recognized as a Wellbeing First Champion. This signals a commitment to supporting the mental health and well-being of health care professionals, helping to reduce stigma and ensuring that they can access support without fear of losing their jobs or facing professional scrutiny.

The Growing Impact of the Wellbeing First Champion Challenge

The Wellbeing First Champion Challenge has already made significant strides in both licensing and credentialing, improving access to mental health care for health workers nationwide.

Licensure Boards: As of September 1, 2024, 1 dental licensure board, 29 medical licensure boards, and 4 nursing licensure boards have been recognized as Wellbeing First Champions. These boards represent more than 1.1 million licensed health workers who now benefit from applications that do not include intrusive mental health questions. This marks a 16% increase from last year for medical licensure boards, with states like Oregon, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia joining the movement. Figure 1⁴ depicts states where a medical board’s initial and renewal applications are consistent with the challenge’s recommendations.

Figure 1. Wellbeing First Champions for Medical Licensing

Reprinted with permission from the Dr. Lorna Breen Heroes’ Foundation.⁴

Hospital Credentialing: As of September 1, 2024, 375 hospitals—representing a 400% increase from the previous year—have verified that their credentialing applications are free of intrusive mental health questions, benefiting over 115,000 credentialed health workers.

Additionally, Jackson and Coker Locum Tenens and Envision Healthcare have also revised their internal forms, reaching a total of 17,300 health workers. Also, for the first time, an insurance company, PacificSource Health Plans, has verified their applications. Figure 2 depicts states where hospitals’ credentialing applications are consistent with the challenge’s recommendations.

Figure 2.Wellbeing First Champions for Credentialing

Reprinted with permission from the Dr. Lorna Breen Heroes’ Foundation.⁴

Take Action to Support Pharmacy Professionals

Although the challenge has made significant strides, there is still much work to be done—especially for pharmacy professionals. Pharmacists are integral to the health care system, ensuring patients have access to the medications they need for health and well-being.

The ALL IN: Wellbeing First for Healthcare coalition, led by the Dr. Lorna Breen Heroes’ Foundation, urges stakeholders to join the Wellbeing First Champion Challenge and take action to support the mental health of pharmacy professionals. As an immediate step, the foundation encourages pharmacy professionals to contact their state board of pharmacy and ask them to audit their licensure applications and revise any questions that are not consistent with the best practices outlined in the challenge. As state boards of pharmacy become Wellbeing First Champions, pharmacy professionals know which states support their mental health and can choose where to practice accordingly.⁴

Conclusion

The mental health of health workers is directly tied to the quality of care they provide. By removing unnecessary barriers to mental health care, we can create a health care system that values the well-being of its workforce and, in turn, improves the health of the entire nation.

Now more than ever, it is important to build a future where health workers are supported, where mental health care is a priority, and where seeking help is not a source of shame, but a source of strength.

REFERENCES

1. Suicide prevention: evidence-informed interventions for the health care workforce. American Hospital Association. 2022. Accessed November 1, 2024. https://www.aha.org/suicideprevention/health-care-workforce/suicide-prevention-guide.

2. Pharmacy well-being index. Well-Being Index. Accessed November 1, 2024. https://www.mywellbeingindex.org/versions/pharmacy-well-being-index/.

3. Pharmacy workforce suicide awareness day. American Society of Health-System Pharmacists. Accessed November 1, 2024. https://wellbeing.ashp.org/suicide-awareness-day?loginreturnUrl=SSOCheckOnly.

4. Remove barriers to mental health care for health workers. Dr. Lorna Breen Heroes Foundation. Accessed November 1, 2024. https://drlornabreen.org/removebarriers/.